&                        PRINCETON,  N.  J.                         <f/ 

i                                                                                                                    1 

Presented  by  Mr.  Samuel  Agnew  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Division         I.  ^C.^^.  • 
Number 

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in  2011  with  funding  from 

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IHE       WARBURTON        AVENUE       BAPTIST        CHURCH 

VONKKKS.    N.    Y. 


HISTORY 


ERECTION     AND    DEDICATION 


THE  HOUSE  OF  WORSHIP 


Markrtnu  ^^Ijeime  baptist  €\mt\r 


YONKERS,  N.  Y. 


PRINTED    BY    ORDER    OF    THE    CHURCH. 


N  e  \v  York: 

t$.  JrJolraan,  Itfrjnlerj,  cor^nei^  of  ^en^e  and  ^hite  Streets. 

1869. 


INTHODUCTOEY. 


A  GOOD  deed  has  in  it  the  element  of  immortality. 
The  freshness  of  its  early  fragrance  can  not  pass  away 
and  perish.  For  a  good  deed  is  one  that  has  God  in 
it ;  and  whatever  has  God  in  it,  can  not  die.  Even 
when  it  has  passed  from  the  memory  of  living  men, 
seemingly  bm-ied  beneath  the  tide  of  the  rushing 
years,  it  still  exists  as  one  of  the  invisible,  but  living 
and  carefully  guarded  forces  in  God's  moral  economy. 

A  good  deed  is  more  than  immortal ;  it  reproduces 
itself  It  is  life,  carrying  its  own  seed,  muHiplying 
itself  indefinitely.  It  acts  like  an  inspiration  from 
above,  a  breath  from  the  heavens,  swelling  the  sails  of 
indecision,  and  setting  into  swifter  motion  the  slowly 
plodding.  Wherever  its  history  is  repeated,  it  kindles 
and  fires  the  better  natures  of  men  into  responsive 
action.  The  electric  thrill  runs  from  heart  to  heart, 
and  so  the  one  deed  reproduces  itself  in  the  many.  A 
great  good  deed  can  not  walk  in  solitariness.  It  will 
draw  to  itself  a  great  host,  to  bear  it  willing,  honora- 
ble company.  When  David,  old  and  feeble,  shorn  of 
the  vigor  of  manhood,  and  full  of  infirmities,  called 
the  princes  and  chiefs  of  the  house  of  Israel  about 
him,  and  told  them  what  generous  provision  he  had 
made  for  the  building  of  God's  temple,  he  kindled  in 
his  auditors  an  enthusiasm  more  intense  than  any 
created  by  his  grandest  exploits  in  war.      They  were 


stuTed  to  niuniticent  emulation,  and  in  a  very  short 
time  they  more  than  doubled  the  temple  fund.  Our 
own  day  boasts  its  Peabody,  and  Yassar,  and  Crozer, 
and  scores  of  others  who,  by  their  example,  have  been 
stirred  to  deeds  of  like  far-sighted  generosity. 

In  this  catalogue  of  honor,  John  B.  Trevor  and 
James  B.  Coi^gate  have  fully  and  fairly  earned  the 
right  of  enrollment.  While  their  benefactions  have 
brought  blessings  to  many  doors,  the  uniqueness  of 
their  great  gift  to  the  Warburton  Avenue  Baptist 
Church,  of  Yonkers,  merits  special  mention.  To 
furnish  a  full  and  reliable  account  of  the  origin  and 
progress  of  this  enterprise,  the  publication  of  the 
present  pamphlet  was  conceived.  At  a  regular  busi- 
ness meeting  of  the  Church,  held  on  Wednesday 
evening,  June  30,  1869,  a  Committee,  consisting  of 
the  Pastor,  Rev.  A.  J.  F.  Behrends,  Deacon  Peter  F. 
Peek,  Bros.  Gr.  Hilton  Scribner  and  James  Randell, 
of  the  Church,  and  Luther  W.  Fkost,  Esq.,  of  the 
Congregation,  were  appointed,  "  empowered  to  collect 
a  complete  record  of  all  the  facts  relating  to  the  erec- 
tion of  the  house  of  worship  of  the  Warburton  Avenue 
Baptist  Church,  the  dedicatory  services,  and  the  con- 
gratulatory meeting,  and  authorized  to  publish  the 
same  under  the  sanction  of  the  Church."  In  con- 
formity to  the  spirit  of  the  above  resolution,  the 
following  pages  have  been  prepared,  and  they  are  now 
submitted  to  the  public, — not  to  minister  to  vain-glory, 
or  to  flatter  sinful  pride,  but  in  the  hope  thereby  to 
provoke  others  to  a  holy  jealousy  and  a  pure-minded 
emulation. 


H I S  T  0  K  Y. 


YoNKERS,  one  of  the  rapidly  growing  suburban 
towns  of  Xew  York  City,  is  situated  on  the  easterly 
bank  of  the  Hudson  River,  about  15  miles  from  the 
centre  of  the  great  American  metropolis.  It  has  a 
population  of  nearly  15,000.  A  Baptist  Church  was 
organized  here  on  May  14,  1849,  with  15  members, 
six  of  whom  are  still  living  and  in  full  fellowship  with 
the  Church.  The  first  pastor  was  the  Rev.  D.  Henry 
Miller,  D.  D.,  now  of  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  who 
was  succeeded  in  turn  by  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Scott,  now 
deceased.  Rev.  J.  C.  C.  Clarke,  now  of  Madison,  Wis- 
consin, and  Rev.  A.  J,  F.  Behrends,  whose  pastorate 
dates  from  May,  1865.  The  present  membership  of 
the  Church  is  253. 

The  first  house  of  worship  was  built  by  the  Church 
shortly  after  its  organization.  It  is  of  brick,  52  by  63 
feet,  with  a  square  tower  on  the  southeasterly  corner, 
60  feet  high  ;  containing  a  basement,  capable  of  seat- 
ing about  200,  and  a  main  audience  room,  which,  with 
the  end  gallery  opposite  the  pulpit,  can  accommodate 
between  300  and  400  persons. 

FORMAL  OFFER. 

As  early  as  1863  at  least,  the  building  of  a  new 
house    in    a    more    favorable    location    was    ao;itated 


among  a  few  members  and  friends  of  the  Church, 
but  the  subject  did  not  definitely  engage  the  attention 
of  the  Church  until  the  regular  Church  meeting,  held 
on  October  2,  1867,*  when  the  following  communica- 
tion from  Bros.  Trevor  and  Colgate  was  read  b}^  the 
pastor  : 

To  THE  Mount  Olivet  Baptist  CnuRCir,  Yonkers. 

Dear  Brethren : — Feeling  a  deep  interest  in  the  advancement  of  the 
cause  of  Christ,  and  under  obligations  to  hira  for  many  blessings,  and 
as  expressive  of  our  love  for  bim  and  for  the  Church  which  he  has  jour- 
chased  with  his  own  blood,  we  jjropose  to  erect  and  give  to  you  a 
church  edifice  (according  to  the  plans  herewith  submitted),  with  the 
ground,  being  about  218  feet  on  Ashburton  Avenue,  and  304  feet,  more 
or  less,  onWarburton  Avenue,  besides  an  additional  piece  adjoining  the 
easterly  side,  50  by  100  feet,  free  from  all  debt,  on  the  following  con- 
ditions : 

1.  The  Churcli,  on  entering  into  possession,  is  to  be  known  as  the 
''Wai'burton  Acenue  Baptist  Church,^''  instead  of  ^'■Mount  Olivet  Baptist 
Church."' 

2.  The  Church  is  to  relinquish  to  the  undersigned  all  its  rights, 
titles,  etc.  (if  it  have  any),  to  the  eight  lots  on  the  northerly  side  of  the 
Manor  House  proijerty. 

3.  The  Church  shall  not  encumber  with  debt,  or  sell  the  said  proj)- 
erty ;  and  it  is  distinctly  agreed  between  us  that  it  is  to  be  used  as  a 
Baptist  place  of  worship  for  all  time. 

4.  The  Church  is  to  use  the  said  liuilding  and  grounds  for  no  other 
purpose  than  those  of  a  religious  character,  all  meetings  of  a  i^olitical  or 
secular  character  being  forbidden  to  be  held  on  the  premises. 

5.  The  Church  is  to  raise  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  in  cash, 
which  is  to  be  spent  in  furnishing  the  new  edifice,  under  the  direction  of 
the  architect,  E.  L.  Roberts,  Esq.;  and  should  there  be  any  surijlus,  it  is 
to  be  spent  toward  paying  for  an  organ,  to  be  used  in  said  building. 


*  This  is  the  date  of  the  first  formal  proiDOsition  and  Church  action. 
Months  previous  to  this,  however,  and  in  anticipation  of  the  acceptance 
by  the  Church  of  the  formal  offer,  the  lots  had  been  jjurchased  ;  and  sev- 
eral weeks  before  the  above  date,  the  plans  had  been  drawn,  the  main 
contracts  had  been  awarded,  and  ground  had  been  broken.  This  note 
will  harmonize  the  statement  on  page  10  with  the  above. 


6.  In  case  of  any  dispute  arising  hereafter  as  to  what  is  a  Baptist 
Church,  it  is  to  be  settled  by  the  creed  of  the  present  Church,  in  which 
its  doctrines  are  fully  set  forth. 

Should  the  Church  agree  to  accept  the  property  on  the  alwve  con- 
ditions, and  instruct  its  Trustees  to  receive  the  same,  we  agree  to  deposit 
in  the  hands  of  F.  A.  Coe,  Esq.,  of  Yonkers,  a  deed,  to  be  held  by  him 
in  trust,  and  to  be  surrendered  to  your  Trustees  on  these  conditions 
being  fully  complied  with. 

Hoping  the  above  propositions  will  meet  with  your  approval,  and 
be  favored  with  the  blessing  of  God,  we  are,  dear  brethren. 

Very  truly  yours, 

John  B.  Trevok. 

James  B.  Colgate. 


The  communication  was  referred  to  a  Committee, 
consisting  of  Bros.  Edward  Bright,  P.  F.  Peek,  and 
Isaac  Gr.  Johnson,  who  submitted  the  following  re- 
port, whose  appended  resolutions  were  unanimously 
and  heartily  adopted  : 

The  Committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  communication  of  Bros. 
John  B.  Trevor  and  James  B.  Colgate,  is  profoundly  impressed  with 
the  generous  and  noble  work  they  propose  to  do,  and  the  reasonableness 
of  all  the  conditions  upon  which  the  Church  is  to  accept  the  gift.  Such 
a  church  edifice  as  they  intend  to  build  at  their  own  expense  will  be 
more  than  impressive,  and  delightful  evidence  of  the  estimation  in  which 
they  hold  their  Christian  and  denominational  convictions ;  it  will  also 
prove  to  be,  as  your  Committee  believes,  an  inestimable  blessing  to  the 
commimity  in  which  it  is  to  be  located,  and  to  the  cause  of  evangelical 
truth  throughout  the  world.  For  it  is  to  be,  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, the  spiritual  home  of  a  living  church  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  such  a 
church  is  everywhere  and  always  the  best  and  most  jDotent  conservative 
force  in  the  world. 

The  Christian  men  and  women  here  assembled  should,  therefore, 
accept  this  munificent  gift  of  their  brethren  with  fervent  gratitude  to 
God,  and  with  no  other  thought  or  purpose  than  to  regard  it  as  a  per- 
petual argument  for  the  existence  of  a  living,  united,  and  ag'gressive 
church  wdthin  its  walls, — a  church  that  shall  evermore  hold  to  and  hold 
forth  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus ;  the  truth  as  be,  and  those 
whom  be  personally  instructed,  held  and  illustrated  it. 


The  Committee  recommend,  therefore,  the  adoption  of  these  resolu- 
tions : 

Hesohed,  That  in  the  spirit  of  tlie  sentiment  herein  expressed,  and  in 
tlie  hope  of  the  fullest  realization  of  all  the  blessings  herein  intimated, 
this  Church  does  hereby  exjjress  its  profound  gratitude  to  God  for  the 
timely,  munificent,  and  noble  gift  proposed  by  Bros.  John  B.  Trevor 
and  James  B.  Colgate. 

Mesolved,  That  the  Trustees  of  the  Church  and  Society  be,  and  they 
are  hereby,  requested  and  instructed  to  accept  the  conditions  on  which 
Bros.  Trevor  and  Colgate  j)ropose  to  transfer  the  deed  of  the  new 
church  edifice,  and  to  take  the  necessary  measures  to  carry  into  prompt 
and  complete  effect  every  condition  named  in  their  communication. 

Hesolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  report  be  communicated  to  Bros. 
Trevor  and  Colgate,  individually,  by  the  Pastor  and  Clerk  of  the 
Church. 

Edward  Bright. 
Peter  F.  Peek. 
Isaac  G.  Johnson. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  HOUSE. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  house  of  worship  was 
laid  on  the  11th  of  April,  1868,  with  appropriate 
services,  in  which  the  pastor  was  cordially  assisted 
by  the  Rev.  U.  T.  Tracy,  rector  of  the  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  Church,  the  Rev.  M.  D.  C.  Crawford, 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  Rev. 
David  Cole,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
the  Rev.  D.  M.  Seward,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Mudge, 
pastor  of  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  Church, 
all  of  them  active  pastors  within  the  bounds  of  the 
village  corporation 

The  building  is  located  on  the  corner  of  two  of 
the  principal  avenues  in  the  village,  from  one  of 
which  its  name  is  derived.  Its  extreme  length,  in- 
cluding the  two-story  chapel  in  the  rear,  is  154:  feet. 


9 

and  its  extreme  width  in  front  is  90  feet.  Tlie  chapel 
is  90  by  36  feet.  Tlie  walls  are  30  feet  in  the  clear 
from  the  water-table  to  the  roof  cornice,  and  the  roof 
has  a  perpendicular  elevation  of  nearly  32  feet.  The 
main  tower  and  spire  are  on  the  southwesterly  corner, 
and  rise  to  an  elevation  of  160  feet  from  the  water- 
table,  surmounted  by  a  beautiful  and  symmetrical 
stone  cross.  On  the  southeasterly  corner  is  an  octagon 
tower,  60  feet  high.  The  architecture  is  the  Roman- 
esque, or  round  arched.  The  main  audience  room  is 
80  by  60  feet,  with  galleries  on  both  sides  and  on  the 
end  opposite  the  pulpit.  There  are  206  pews  in  this 
room,  of  which  148  are  on  the  main  floor,  and  58 
in  the  galleries,  giving  the  house  a  seating  capacity  of 
from  1,000  to  1,200.  The  furniture  is  of  solid  black 
walnut,  oiled  and  waxed.  The  ceiling  and  walls  are 
handsomely  frescoed,  the  coloring  being  subdued 
in  general  tone.  The  windows  are  all  of  stained 
glass.  The  organ  is  still  in  process  of  construc- 
tion under  the  direction  of  Henry  Erben,  Esq.,  of 
New  York  City,  and  will  be  of  great  power,  with 
two  banks  of  keys  and  35  stops.  There  is  a  fine, 
spacious  baptistery  under  the  pulpit  platform,  from 
which  there  are  convenient  communications  with 
the  robing  rooms.  These,  with  a  church  parlor,  in- 
tended for  social  gatherings,  37  by  32  feet,  and 
pastor's  study  and  library,  occupy  the  first  floor  of 
the  chapel.  The  second  floor  contains  the  Sabbath 
school  and  lecture  room,  69  by  32  feet,  with  an  end 
gallery  for  the  infant  department  of  the  Sabbath 
school,  and  separated  from  the  main  room  by  sliding 
glass-doors.  This  room  is  furnished  with  semi-oval, 
cane-bottom   settees,    and    the    walls    and  ceiling  are 


10 

painted  and  lightly  frescoed.  Botli  this  room  and  the 
audience  room  are  lighted  from  great  reflectors  in  the 
ceiling.  A  great  deal  of  attention  has  been  given  to 
the  thorough  ventilation  of  the  building,  and  con- 
siderable money  has  been  expended  on  the  same, 
under  the  very  just  notion  that  pure  air,  and  plenty  of 
it,  is  cheap  at  any  price.  The  architect  pronounces  it 
one  of  the  very  best  ventilated  buildings  in  the  country. 
The  structure,  including  towers  and  spire,  is  built  of 
Belleville  freestone,  of  a  handsome  browii  color ;  and 
the  roof  is  of  the  best  quality  of  slate.  The  entire  cost 
of  the  ground,  building,  appointments,  etc.,  is  nearly 
$200,000,  all  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  $10,000 
raised  by  the, Church  and  Society,  has  been  generously 
and  cheerfully  contributed  by  Bros.  John  B.  Trevor 
and  James  B.  Colgate. 

THE  MEMORIAL  TABLET. 

When  this  enterprise  was  under  serious  considera- 
tion,— the  site  having  already  been  purchased,  and 
the  plans  adopted,  Louisa  S.  Stewart,  the  beloved 
wife  of  our  brother  John  B.  Trevor,  was  called  home. 
For  many  years  an  active  and  useful  member  of  the 
Mount  Olivet  Baptist  Church,  and  a  great  but  patient 
sufferer  during  the  closing  years  of  her  life,  she  fell 
asleep  on  the  7th  of  September,  1867,  and  her  body 
rests  in  the  city  of  the  dead  at  Greenwood,  with  God 
keeping  tender  watch  over  her  dust.  A  choice  memo- 
rial tablet  of  the  finest  Aberdeen  granite  is  firmly  set 
in  the  southerly  wall  of  the  main  audience  room, 
near  the  southeasterly  corner,  and  a  marble  vase 
and  flowers,   of  purest  vein  and    exquisitel}^   carved, 


11 

set  in  a  projecting  Gothic  marble  frame,  and  front- 
ing the  encased  tablet,  seems  to  perpetuate  in 
silent,  solid  stone,  the  delicate  fragrance  of  her  pure 
Christian  life.  The  tablet  bears  the  following  in- 
scription : 

Kit  ittcmorj)  of 

Louisa     S.     Stewart, 

WIFE   OF 

John    B.    Trevor, 

Born  May  21,  1836. 

Entered  into  rest 

September  7,  1867. 

Unwavering'  in    her    faith, 

SHE   died   rejoicing   IN 

the  Savior. 
FORMAL  TRANSFER  OF  PROPERTY. 

The  following  account  of  a  special  meeting  of  the 
Church  and  Society,  held  on  Monday  evening,  June  7, 
1869,  is  taken  from  the  columns  of  the  Examiner  and 
Chronicle : 

The  deed  of  the  superb  gift,  made  by  Messrs.  Trevor  and  Colgate, 
was  formally  presented  and  accepted  in  a  meeting  of  the  Church  on 
Monday  evening  last.  In  presenting  the  deed,  Mr.  Colgate  sj^oke  as 
follows : 

"  Mr.  Chairman  and  Brethren: — About  thirty  years  since,  in  conversa- 
tion with  my  friend,  Garret  N.  Bleeker,  I  expressed  to  him  a  hoj^e 
that  I  might  live  to  build  a  house  of  worship  for  the  service  of  God. 
This  hope,  since  then  secretly  cherished,  is  about  to  be  fulfilled. 

"  Nothing  belongs  to  me  in  this  enterprise  which  does  not  belong 
equally  to  my  associate  and  friend,  John  B.  Trevor. 

"In  the  erection  of  this  house  of  worship,  we  trust  we  have  been 
actuated  by  no  motives  which  will  not  bear  the  scrutiny  of  our  Lord  and 
Savior  Jesus  Christ. 

"  We  are  not  careful  to  reply  to  those  Avho  may  charge  us  with 
extravagance.     Such  we  would  refer  to  the  answer  of  our  Lord,  in  rejDly 


12 

to  the  f|uestiou  :  '  Ought  not  this  ointment  to  be  sold  for  more  than  two 
hundred  i)ence  and  given  to  the  poor  V  And  we  wouhl  also  remind 
such  that  the  oldest  historical  fact  on  record  pertaining  to  public 
worship  is  that  God  had  resjject  to  the  sacrifice  of  Abel,  who  offered  the 
firstlings  of  his  flock,  while  he  rejected  the  meaner  oft'ering  of  Cain,  as 
insulting  to  his  Creator. 

"  In  conveying  this  propertj',  we  have  imjiosed  some  conditions,  in 
which  we  think  the  Church  will  cheerfully  acquiesce. 

"1.  The  proi)erty  can  not  be  sold,  but  must  be  used  solely  for  a  Bap- 
tist church. 

"  2.  Its  use  is  restricted  to  religious  purposes  only,  excluding  every- 
thing secular. 

"  3.  The  Church  is  debarred  the  right  to  encumber  the  pro^Derty. 
"  And,  brethren,  may  peace  dwell  ever  with  you.  May  these  new 
walls  never  reverberate  with  the  strife  of  brethren,  but  may  they  resound 
with  the  teachings  of  God's  Word,  accompanied  with  the  notes  of  praise 
and  prayer.  May  the  interesting  associations  clustering  around  the  old 
be  transferred  to  the  new  edifice,  and  there  be  entwined  with  dearer  and 
fresher  and  more  glorious  associations;  and  may  'He  Avho  dwelleth 
between  the  cherubim  shine  forth'  and  fill  the  house  with  his  glory. 

"  We  now  most  cheerfully  and  cordially  tender  to  you  this  deed  of 
the  property." 

The  pastor  resj^onded  in  a  few  words,  and  G.  H.  Scribner,  Esq., 
read  the  carefully  drawn  document,  which,  besides  being  a  full  deed  of 
conveyance,  embodies  the  complete  Articles  of  Faith  of  the  Church, 
adherence  to  which  is  a  jjerpetual  condition  of  the  gift.  He  then  moved 
the  resolution  by  which  the  Church  received  the  property — one  of  the 
largest  donations  ever  made  by  two  individuals  to  a  church  of  Christ. 
And  the  Church  will  do  well  to  remember  that  it  "  is  never  to  be  encum- 
bered"— which,  by  a  free  interpretation,  must  mean  that  no  mortgage  is 
to  rest  upon  its  stone  and  mortar,  and  no  dead  formalism  is  to  crush  the 
life  out  of  the  worship  and  enterprise  of  which  it  is  to  be  the  home  and 
centre. 


13 


DEDICATOEY   SERVICES. 


OPENING  OF  THE  SABBATH-SCIIOOL  ROOM. 

Formal  possession  was  taken  of  the  new  Sablmth- 
scliool  room  on  the  morning  of  the  day  of  dedication, 
June  20,  18G9.  The  Church  School,  Bro.  Heman  L. 
White,  Superintendent,  and  the  Spring  Street  Mission 
School,  Bro.  Edward  Bright,  Superintendent,  marched 
from  the  old  house  hi  a  solid  procession  of  six  hundred 
strong,  preceded  by  a  beautiful  silk  banner,  a  gift  to 
the  Church  School  from  its  Superintendent.  Arrived 
at  the  new  room,  which  was  crowded  in  every  part, 
addresses  of  welcome  were  delivered  by  Bros.  Col- 
gate and  Trevor.  Mr.  James  B.  Colgate  spoke  as 
follows.: 

31i\  Superintendent,  Teachers,  and  Scholars:  —  We  welcome  you  most 
heartily  to  this  new  Sabbath  home.  Your  looks  and  smiles  indicate  a  joyful 
response  to  this  sentiment. 

The  house  we  have  just  left  is  endeared  to  us  by  tender  recollections  of  the 
past.  If  the  ground  was  hallowed  where  God  spoke  to  Moses  from  out  of  the 
burning  bush,  ought  not  that  spot  to  be  loved  by  us  where  we  have  so  often 
met  our  Savior,  and  where  he  has  spoken  peace  to  so  many  stricken  hearts  ? 

Some  DOW  present  can  recall  the  time  when  we  met  few  in  numbers,  and 
under  circumstances  greatly  discouraging.  But  even  then  God  had  a  bless- 
ing in  reserve  for  us.  Year  by  year  we  grew  stronger,  and  when  that  place 
was  too  small  to  hold  our  increasing  numbers,  he  provided  us  with  this, 
suited  to  our  present  necessities,  complete  in  all  its  appointments,  and  where 
the  eye  rests  satisfied. 

The  possession  of  this  house  imposes  heavier  responsibilities  ;  but,  sir, 
there  is  no  dignity  in  life  ivithoiit  responsibility.  God,  the  Church,  and  the 
School  will  expect  of  us  a  consistency  of  life  and  devotedness  of  purpose, 
corresponding  to  the  position  we  assume. 


14 

God  requires  of  us  that  we  teacb  his  truth  in  simplicity,  with  earnestness 
and  godly  fear. 

The  Church  requires  that  we  be  ourselves  examples,  to  the  children,  of 
truth,  sobriety,  keeping  the  Sabbath  as  God's  day,  and  living  in  all  respects 
conformably  to  the  gospel  we  profess  to  teach. 

The  School  requires  of  us  no  idle  words,  no  vain  shows  unbecoming  the 
house  of  God,  but  a  decency  and  propriety  which  their  young  minds  will  not 
l>e  slow  to  discern. 

These  responsibilities  each   must    meet  for  himself.    IMy  own  heart  re-' 
pponds  to  the  utterance  of  Joshua  of  old  in  the  presence  of  assembled  Israel  : 
•■  As  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord." 

Again  we  say  to  you,  you  are  welcome,  thrice  welcome,  to  this  house 
about  to  be  dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  Most  High  God.  May  it  prove  to 
many  who  now  hear  me  a  gate  to  that  upper  sanctuary,  to  that  "  building  of 
God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 

Mr.  John  B.  Trevor  followed  in  a  brief  speech  of 
welcome,  as  follows  : 

Dear  Children: — In  welcoming  you  to  this  beautiful  room, I  am  reminded 
of  the  old  Spanish  custom  of  offering  a  visitor  all  the  house  contains;  and  we 
now  offer  yon  all  the  accommodations  afPjrded  by  this  building,  including  its 
furniture  and  other  appliances,  as  a  free  gift  to  you.  We  hope,  also,  that  you 
will  consider  this  as  your  Sunday  home,  and  that  you  will,  once  a  week,  greet 
your  teachers  here,  just  as  some  of  you  every  day  welcome  your  fathers  when 
they  return  from  their  business  in  the  city. 

You  will  also  be  offered  here,  by  your  teachers  and  Superintendent,  every 
Sunday,  far  more  valuable  gifts  than  those  now  presented  to  you — I  mean  the 
great  truths  taught  in  God's  A\''ord.  And  the  only  return  we  all  ask  of  you 
is,  that  you  will  show  a  due  appreciation  of  these  latter  gifts,  which  we  hope 
will  be  blessed  to  the  salvation  of  your  souls. 

You  must  not,  however,  sel6shly  consider  all  that  has  been  done  as  done 
only  to  benefit  you,  but  we  hope  you  will  realize  that  the  glory  of  God  has 
been  our  chief  incentive,  and  that  without  his  aid  and  blessing  all  our  labor 
will  be  in  vain. 

These  addresses  of  w^elcome  were  responded  to  by 
Mr.  Heman  L.  White,  Superintendent  of  the  Church 
School,  as  follows  : 

AVe  have  listened,  with  grateful  emotions,  to  the  cordial  words  of  welcome 
with  which  you  have  greeted  us,  and  in  behalf  of  the  school  I  thank  you. 

God  has  blessed  us  in  the  past,  and  he  smiles  upon  us  to-day.  Seven 
years  ago,  my  first  Sabbath  in  Yonkers,  I  came  to  this  school,  where  you, 
with  your  wives,  were  teaching.     Three  are  with  us  to-day,  and  one  has  gone 


15 

before  us  to  the  "  rest  that  remaineth."  Our  numbers,  then  about  seventy,  are 
now  nearly  seven  hundred,  and  divided  in  two  bands.  The  Spring  Street 
Mission,  a  child  of  six  summers,  and  now  outnumbering  the  old  school,  is 
here  to-day,  and  prepared,  through  its  efficient  Superintendent,  to  speak  for 
itself. 

Our  hearts  are  full  of  joy  and  rejoicing,  while  we  say  :  "  Not  unto  us,  0 
Lord,  but  to  thy  name  be  all  the  glory." 

We  have  just  been  down  to  say  good-bye  to  the  old  home,  and  the  chil- 
dren and  teachers  have  given  me  a  message,  a  heartfelt  message,  to  deliver  to 
you,  which  I  will  now  do. 

The  Superintendent  then  read  the  following  resolu- 
tions, adopted  by  the  school,  and  presented  a  copy  of 
the  same  to  Bros.  Trevor  and  Colgate,  severally  : 

Resolved,  That  under  a  deep  sense  of  gratitude  to  God,  who  has  watched 
over  and  so  abundantly  blessed  our  Sabbath  school,  we  desire  to  return  our 
grateful  thanks  to  Him,  the  Author  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift,  who  has 
given  to  our  brethren  and  fellow-teachers,  John  B.  Trevor  and  James  B. 
Colgate,  the  ability  and  the  willing  hearts  to  provide  for  us  this  delightful 
Sabbath-school  home. 

Resolved,  That  we  tender  to  our  two  brethren  the  heartfelt  thanks  of  every 
one  of  our  three  hundred  teachers  and  scholars,  and  we  pray  God  to  bless 
them  a  hundred-fold  for  this  their  great  gift  to  us. 

Resolved,  That  this  expression  of  our  gratitude  be  presented  to  our  two 
beloved  associates  by  the  Superintendent  of  our  school. 

Short  addresses  by  the  Pastor,  by  Dr.  Bright,  Su- 
perintendent of  the  Mission  School,  and  by  Bro.  Wm. 
M.  Gray,  formerly  Superintendent  of  the  Church 
School,  and  singing,  closed  the  delightftd  exercises. 


16 


SERYICES  IN  THE  MAIiN'  AUDIENCE  ROOM. 


At  half-past  ten  the  main  audience  room  was 
thronged  with  a  large,  interested  audience,  who  had 
gathered  from  far  and  near  to  share  in  the  joy  of  our 
dedication  day.  The  pastor.  Rev.  A.  J.  F.  Behrends, 
Rev.  C.  D'  W.  Bridgman,  D.  D.,  of  Albany,  and  Rev. 
Edward  Bright,  D,  D,,  of  Yonkers,  occupied  seats  on 
the  pulpit  platform.  After  the  invocation  and  the 
singing  of  the  933d  Hymn  in  the  Psalmist,  the  follow- 
ing selections  from  Scripture  were  read  by  Dr.  Bridg- 
man :  Psalm  cxxii.,  Acts  xvii.,  24-28,  and  1  Cor.  iii., 
11-23.  The  dedicatory  pra3^er  was  then  offered  by  Dr. 
Bright,  a  member  of  the  church.  After  the  singing 
of  the  338th  Hymn,  the  pastor  preached  the  dedicatory 
sermon,  from  Haggai  ii.,  9,  after  which  the  choir 
sang  the  sentence  beginning:  "  How  beautiful  are 
thy  dwellings,  0  Lord  of  Hosts  1" 


17 


S  E  E  M  0  N. 


THE  TRUE  GLORY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

*'  The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be  greater  than  of  the  former,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts  !" — Haggai  ii.,  9, 

The  glory  of  a  thing  is  the  fulfilhnent  of  its  mission. 
By  so  much  as  it  fails  of  the  full  exhibition  of  its  im- 
planted energies,  by  so  much  is  the  crown  of  its  glory 
tarnished  and  dimmed.  Glory  is  not  an  arbitrary  in- 
vestiture, an  artificial  coronation  ;  but  the  free,  full 
development  of  natural  powers,  the  attainment  of  the 
divine  purpose  in  creation.  A  mote  flying  in  the  sun- 
beam, a  flower  by  the  wayside,  has  its  glory,  if  the 
mission  of  its  being  is  reached  ;  the  winged  seraph, 
however  vast  his  achievements,  forfeits  his  right  to  a 
seraph's  crown  if  he  fail  of  being  what  Grod  would 
have  a  seraph  be.  The  glory  of  manhood  consists  not 
in  extent  of  possessions,  in  breadth  of  culture  ;  but  in 
the  noble  expansion  of  a  soul  into  what  God  has  made 
it  possible  for  soul  to  be.  It  is  not  the  cut  of  a  man's 
coat,  the  fineness  and  costliness  of  its  material,  the 
elegance  of  his  habitation,  the  number  of  his  attend- 
ants, that  confirm  his  right  to  the  title  of  gentleman  or 
nobleman.  Nobility  is  of  the  soul,  not  of  the  garment. 
Who  was  the  great  man,  Paul  chained  in  an  inner 
dungeon,  or  Nero  on  the  throne  of  imperial  Home  ? 
The  glory  of  a  land,  what  is  it?  Is  it  extent  of  domain, 
grandeur  of  mountains,  wealth  of  mineral  resources? 
Can  you  represent  the  glory  of  good  government  by 


statistics  of  agricultural  loroclucts,  by  the  measurement 
of  its  ocean  coast,  its  telegraphs  and  railroads  ?  A 
nation's  glory  is  not  in  these,  but  in  the  virtue  and 
patriotism  of  its  citizens.  Better  to  belong  to  cold, 
rocky,  but  wide-awake,  clear-headed,  brave-hearted 
Scotland,  than  to  hail  from  the  luxuriant,  but  sleepy 
tropics. 

So  the  glor}^  of  a  temple  can  not  be  carved  out  of 
stone  by  the  hands  of  men,  traced  by  the  brush  of 
artist,  reached  by  architectural  proportions  and  orna- 
mentation. The  fulfillment  of  its  mission,  is  the  glory 
of  a  house  of  prayer.  That  glory  may  dwell  in  and 
shine  forth  from  plain,  humble  walls  ;  it  may  be  want- 
ing in  the  massive,  costly  structure.  It  found  its  way 
to,  and  filled  an  upper  room  in  Jerusalem  ;  it  never 
consecrated  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  The  temple  reared 
by  Zerubbabel  was  not  as  costly  as  that  built  by  Sol- 
omon ;  yet  the  glory  of  the  latter  house  was  greater 
than  that  of  the  former,  because  it  remained  until  He 
came,  of  wdiom  Jewish  temple  and  Jewish  ritual  were 
but  a  silent,  continuous  prophecy.  The  courts  of  Zerub- 
babel's  temple  were  hallowed  by  the  personal  presence 
of  the  Son  of  man  ;  and  one  pressure  of  his  foot  con- 
veyed more  glory  than  all  the  gold,  and  cedar,  and 
purple,  that  could  be  found  on  altar,  and  cherubim, 
and  veil.  And  this  is  still  the  glory  of  a  house  of 
praise,  that  it  echo  to  the  footsteps  of  the  Son  of 
God. 

Pursuing  the  thought  that  the  glory  of  a  thing  is 
the  fulfillment  of  its  mission,  we  can  easily  determine 
in  what  directions  we  ought  to  seek  for  the  glory  of 
this  house.  What  is  the  jhssiox  of  a  church  of 
Christ  ? 


19 

I. — That  mission  includes,  first,   the  proclamation 

AND  DEFENSE  OF  SPIRITUAL  TRUTH. 

"Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me,"  said  Christ.  The 
grand  duty  of  a  witness  is  to  be  true  to  facts.  In- 
ferences are  not  good  evidence.  He,  who  knowingly 
so  adjusts  the  different  parts  of  his  testimony,  so  pro- 
jects his  philosophy  upon  the  facts,  that  a  false  impres- 
sion is  left  upon  judge  and  jury,  is  as  guilty  of  perjury 
as  if  he  had  sworn  to  a  statement  positively  false. 
And  a  perjured  man  is  a  disgraced  man,  whatever  his 
name  and  station. 

There  may  be  many  things  in  Scripture  that  are 
distasteful  to  my  neighbor,  that  arouse  his  prejudices, 
that  inflame  him  to  enmity  ;  still,  as  a  witness,  I  am 
guilty  of  perjury  if  I  tamper  with  the  facts.  I  may 
not  deny  or  modify  one  to  save  another.  I  may 
not  project  my  philosophy  upon  them,  and  so  spirit 
them  out  of  existence  ;  every  truth  written  on  the 
broad  page  by  the  finger  of  God  must  be  left  to  j^ro- 
duce  its  legitimate  impression.  My  philosophy  may 
be  insufficient  for  the  elimination  of  every  troublesome 
factor,  for  the  harmonizing  of  apparently  conflicting 
statements  ;  but  God  is  greater  than  the  soul,  and 
truth  a  vast  sea  on  which  philosophy  floats  as  the 
expiring  bubble  of  a  moment.  What  does  the  sea- 
gull, that  has  felt  the  spray  of  an  ocean-wave  on  its 
wings,  and  skimmed  over  its  surface  for  a  few  leagues, 
know  of  the  wealth  of  life  and  mystery  beating  be- 
neath its  agitated  bosom  ? 

A  witness  is  expected  to  speak  only  of  what  he  per- 
sonally knows.  The  reports  of  other  men,  however 
well  confirmed,  however  intrinsically  probable,  are  not 
legal  evidence.    The  teaching  of  experience  is  not  only 


20 

the  best,  but  the  only  one  that  carries  any  authority 
with  it.  For  a  man  to  say  that  he  beUeves  in  the 
Nicene  Creed,  or  in  the  decisions  of  the  Synod  of  Dort, 
or  in  the  Thirty-Nine  Articles,  and  to  regulate  his 
teaching  accordingly,  without  that  living  experience  of 
head  and  heart,  that  earnest,  whole-souled  search  for 
truth  which  results  in  the  personal,  vital  appropriation 
of  a  creed,  is  as  mean  a  piece  of  thieving  as  for  one 
man  to  steal  another's  coat  and  then  go  to  church  in 
it.  The  testimony  of  a  disciple,  of  a  church,  is  not 
summed  up  in  the  repetition  of  doctrinal  formulas,  and 
propping  them  up  by  proof-texts.  Recitation  is  not 
teaching.  Beginning  at  the  point  where  the  Living 
Spirit  touches  the  heart,  quickening  the  understanding, 
rectifying  the  conscience,  we  are  to  preach  from  per- 
sonal knowledge  the  power  and  grace  of  the  Son  of 
God. 

The  different  sects  into  which  Christendom  is  di- 
vided are  simply  the  natural  outgrowths  of  a  faithful 
adherence  to  this  first  principle  of  all  true  teaching, — 
personal  conviction.  Denominational  organizations  are 
but  the  formal  expressions  of  the  distinct,  personal 
convictions  of  large  bodies  of  men.  And  as  long  as 
they  embody  thought  and  conscience,  they  are  not  to 
be  decried  as  dishonoring  to  God,  and  a  blot  upon 
Christian  charity.  It  is  better  to  live  on  the  rocky 
ocean  coast,  where  the  waves  beat  high  on  the  shore 
and  the  wild  storms  rock  the  habitation,  than  on  the 
banks  of  a  stagnant  pool,  whose  surface  is  never  stir- 
red by  a  ripple.  Better,  infinitely  better,  the  stirring 
life  of  Protestantism,  with  all  its  accompanying  strife, 
than  the  iron-bound  uniformity  and  stagnant  corrup- 
tion of  Romanism. 


21 

A  man's  power  lies  very  largely  in  his  personal 
identity,  in  the  force  of  independent  conviction,  in  the 
strength  of  individual  purpose.  And  the  power  of  a 
church  depends  very  largely  upon  the  clearness  and 
force  with  which  her  particular  creed  is  presented  and 
illustrated.  It  will  be  neither  honorable  nor  wise  in 
you  to  lower  the  distinctive  banner  under  which  you 
were  organized.  If  that  banner  is  not  worth  uphold- 
ing, you  ought  long  since  to  have  disbanded.  Not  that 
I  would  have  you  teach  and  defend  the  Baptist  faith 
as  of  more  importance  than  Scripture  ;  but  as  being,  in 
your  conscientious  judgment,  its  equivalent  and  its  fair 
interpretation.  Consider  well,  then,  and  apprehend 
clearly,  the  great  principle  underlying  our  denomina- 
tional structure.  It  has  been  quaintly  said,  that  the 
Baptist  way  of  housekeeping  differs  from  any  other 
only  in  the  quantity  of  water  used.  And  the  impres- 
sion is  a  very  general  one,  that  our  war  is  a  watery 
war, — a  fight  about  the  size  of  the  baptismal  font,  and 
the  posture  of  the  candidate  in  the  administration  of 
the  ordinance.  That  is  but  the  shell,  by  no  means  the 
heart,  of  our  great  •  controversy.  Dr.  Bushnell  came 
much  nearer  the  truth  when,  in  his  "  Lectures  on  Chris- 
tian Nurture,"  he  said  that  the  first  grand  error  of  the 
"Baptist  theories  of  religion,"  was  a  denial  of  the  ''or- 
ganic connection  of  character  f^  a  denial  in  which  he 
intimated  all  Protestants  were  more  or  less  implicated. 
We  do  believe  in  an  organic  unity  of  the  family,  of  the 
race  ;  but  not  in  such  an  organic  oneness  as  does  not 
leave  every  man's  conscience  inviolable,  every  soul  en- 
dowed with  full,  undivided,  and  indivisible  responsibil- 
ity, and  all  religion  a  matter  of  personal  experience. 
The  "  Baptist  tlieory  of  religion  "  is  simply  the  princi- 


90 


pie  of  Calvin  and  Luther  carried  out  to  its  logical 
results.  "The  just  shall  live  by  faith,"  was  the  rally- 
ing cry  of  the  Reformation.  To  it  we  shout,.  "  Amen." 
And  if  faith  be  what  the  theologians  have  ever,  and 
justly,  defined  it  to  be,  "  the  assent  of  the  understand- 
ing and  the  consent  of  the  heart,"  the  Baptist  theory 
of  religion,  which  leaves  every  soul,  in  its  submission 
to  the  ordinances  of  the  Church,  to  give  expression  to 
its  personal  faith  in  Christ,  is  the  true  one.  Whether 
just  or  false,  this  is  the  great  principle  underlying  our 
distinctive  organization  :  Conscience  inviolable;  religion 
not  by  inheritance^  but  by  personal  faith  and  repeMance  ; 
and  the  rites  of  the  Church  intended  to  be  the  formal 
ex2)ressio72s  of  that  faith  and  repentance. 

The  Church  is  a  witness  to  the  truth  of  God.  But 
her  mission  is  judicial  also.  To  her  have  been  given 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom.  She  has  poAver  to  bind  and 
loose.  That  authority  is  not  ecclesiastical,  but  moral. 
It  consists  not  in  the  anathemas  of  churchly  excom- 
munication, in  cursing  by  "bell,  book,  and  candle;'' 
but  in  her  right  of  passing  judgment  upon  every  ques- 
tion that  touches  the  interests  of  men.  It  belongs  to 
her  to  fling  the  broad,  pure  light  of  the  eternal  world 
upon  all  that  takes  hold  on  the  thoughts,  and  con- 
sciences, and  lives  of  men.  All  the  spheres  of  truth 
are  under  her  legitimate  supervision.  Upon  every 
department  of  human  toil,  whether  of  brain  or  of 
hand,  she  is  to  bring  the  pressure  of  her  eternal 
verities.  Clear  as  the  sound  of  silver  bells,  her  notes 
of  warning,  her  judicial  decisions,  are  to  ring  above 
and  through  the  din  of  life,  until  jarrings  shall  cease, 
swords  be  beaten  into  plowshares,  and  spears  into 
pruning-hooks. 


23 

"The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be  greater 
than  of  the  former,"  if  truth  he  allowed  unlimited 
range  and  freest  expression.  And  she  will  not  lend 
her  glory  to  these  walls,  if  she  may  not  appear  hero 
in  the  garb,  and  with  the  mien,  and  on  the  throne,  of 
a  queen. 

II. — But  the  arrow  of  truth  must  be  winged  from 
the  bow  of  love  ;  and  so  the  mission  of  a  Church  of 
Christ  includes,  secondly,  the  exhibition  of  a  broad 

CATHOLICITY  OF  FEELING. 

Truth  itself  must  be  loved. 

"  Thy  soul  must  overflow,  if  thou 
Another's  soul  wouldst  reach ; 
It  needs  the  overflow  of  heart 
To  give  the  lips  full  speech." 

Only  a  great  heart  can  adequately  grasp  a  great 
truth  for  purposes  of  effective  communication.  Truth 
is  modest ;  she  remains  closely  veiled,  showing  her 
features  indistinctly  to  the  cold,  critical  observer  ;  she 
reveals  the  queenly  beauty  of  her  countenance  only  to 
the  enthusiastic  admirer,  and  the  unwearied  lover. 
Truth,  to  be  properly  appreciated,  must  be  seized  at 
white  heat  by  a  glowing  heart.  The  time  between 
sleeping  and  waking,  when  the  eyes  are  open,  and  the 
light  of  day  is  regnant,  but  when  the  shadow  of  slum- 
ber is  still  upon  the  senses,  is  the  season  of  indistinct 
perception.  Then  it  is  that  objects  assume  fantastic, 
ghostly  shapes.  For  purposes  of  correct  observation, 
there  must  be  the  full  light  of  day,  and  senses  wholl}^ 
disenthralled  from  the  power  of  sleep.  There  is  no 
truth  so  insignificant  that  it  leaps  into  well-defined 
outline  at  the  bidding  of  a  dreamy  soul.      Enthusiasm 


24 

is  everywhere  and  always  the  indispensable  condition 
to  clearness  of  moral  and  spiritual  perception. 

Men  must  be  loved,  Nothing  is  more  repulsive  to 
feeling  and  ineffective  in  result  than  official,  perfunc- 
tory teaching.  The  whole  history  of  the  Church 
proves  this.  In  j)roportion  as  the  ministry  has  been 
separated  from  the  people,  and  organized  into  a  class 
by  itself,  with  official  prerogatives,  and  left  to  "do 
rehgion"  for  the  masses,  it  has  failed  to  move  the  eon- 
science  and  to  mould  the  character.  Such  men  have, 
and  do  yet  inspire  awe  and  terror  ;  men's  knees  have 
trembled  when  they  met  a  scowling  priest,  but  the 
severest  frowns  and  harshest  anathemas  failed  to  pro- 
duce a  three  months'  reformation.  The  fear  generated 
in  the  confessional  has  been  drowned  in  the  next  day's 
drunken  spree. 

We  must  love  men  if  we  would  reach  them.  And 
we  can  not  love  them,  be  in  living  sympathy  with 
them,  until  we  lay  aside  official  vestment  and  churchly 
prerogative,  and  interpret  the  heart-throbs  of  a 
neighbor  by  the  beating  of  our  own. 

That  sympathy  must  be  so  comprehensive  and  cath- 
olic, that  no  unloveliness  of  character,  no  diversity  of 
opinion,  shall  move  us  to  the  repudiation  of  our  com- 
mon brotherhood.  It  is  no  great  stretch  of  virtue  for 
a  man  to  do  good  to  his  own  kith  and  kin  :  "  For  if  ye 
love  them  which  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye  ?  Do 
not  even  the  publicans  the  same  ?"  It  belongs  to  the 
Christian  disciple  to  do  the  more  difficult  thing  of 
loving  his  enemies,  blessing  those  that  curse  him, 
doing  good  to  those  that  hate  him,  that,  by  so  doing, 
he  may  prove  his  right  to  a  place  in  the  family  of 
God.     The  evidences  of  adoption  centre  in  the  repro- 


25 

duction  of  that  spirit  which  leads  the  Divine  Heart  to 
exclaim  :  "Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall 
be  as  white  as  snow ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson, 
they  shall  be  as  wool." 

And  that  charity  is  falsely  named,  which  brooks  not, 
or  barely  tolerates,  honest  differences  of  interpretation. 
The  spirit  that  says  :  "We  are  the  men,  and  wisdom 
will  die  with  us,"  is  worthy  of  no  other  answer  than 
that  of  silent  contempt.  Truth  is  not  an  apple,  that  you 
can  hold  between  thumb  and  finger,  turn  around  in  a 
moment,  eat  at  a  single  meal,  and  digest  in  an  hour. 
Truth  is  a  sphere  so  vast,  with  such  broad  continents, 
and  wide,  unfathomable  seas,  with  mountains  of  such 
grandeur,  plains  of  such  reach  and  varied  beauty,  and 
mines  of  such  inexhaustible  treasure,  that- no  one  man 
is  sufficient  to  survey  its  surface  and  probe  its  mys- 
terious depths.  Truth  is  vaster  than  the  grandest 
generalizations  of  human  or  angelic  thinkers,  more 
than  creeds,  and  philosophies,  and  churches.  Truth 
is  a  great  sea,  on  which  we  float,  and  through  which 
we  plow  our  way  under  guidance  of  compass  and  star, 
but  whose  broad  expanse  and  hidden  treasures  have 
been  swept  by,  and  revealed  to,  no  human  vision.  An 
honest  diversity  of  judgment  must  be  expected.  And 
while  every  man  must  be  boldly  true  to  his  own  con- 
victions, he  may  not  allow  the  stream  of  charity  to  be 
choked  by  the  drift-wood  of  scholastic  disputation.  If 
the  great  Father,  under  whose  one  roof-tree  we  all 
find  shelter,  can  look  benignantly  on  us  all,  his  open 
hand  dropping  blessings  on  the  churches  of  every 
name,  we  are  guilty  of  a  great  wrong  to  insist  upon 
doctrinal  uniformity  as  a  condition  to  the  heartiest 
Christian  fellowship  and  co-operation.    Denominational 


suspicions  and  jealousies  are  the  very  meanest  a  hu- 
man heart  can  harbor.  Their  presence  proves  a  dis- 
creditable absence  of  broad,  generous  confidence  in 
the  divine  management.  Truth  must  and  will  triumph. 
And  though  our  organizations  perish,  every  redeemed 
soul  will  join  in  the  pgean  of  victory,  when  the  Lord 
shall  come  on  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  "ten  thou- 
sands of  his  saints." 

"  The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be  greater  than 
of  the  former,"  if  love  beam  from  every  countenance 
and  pervade  every  gathering,  if  these  walls  never  echo 
to  the  sound  of  strife,  or  reflect  the  frown  of  suspicion 
and  the  look  of  pride. 

III. — The   mission  of  a  church  of  Christ   includes 

THE  MAINTENANCE  OF  SIMPLICITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY  OF 
WORSHIP. 

Two  things  are  essential  to  true  worship  :  the  ab- 
sence of  vain  repetitions,  of  Pharisaic  pretension,  and 
spirituality  of  devotion.  Simplicity  promotes  spirit- 
uality ;  and  spirituality  is  uneasy  and  oppressed 
under  a  needless  multiplication  or  extension  of  form. 
Of  public  worship,  the  service  of  song  and  the  sermon 
are  of  greatest  prominence.  Both  should  be  pervaded 
by  combined  simplicity  and  spirituality.  They  fail  to 
express  or  inspire  devotion,  and  impart  healing,  when 
they  are  turned  into  opportunities  for  display. 

Singing  is  an  important  part  of  public  worship.  It 
belongs  to  the  congregation,  and  can  not  be  delegated 
to  one  man  or  to  a  dozen,  either  by  general  consent  or 
formal  vote,  or  assumed  by  arbitrary  usurpation.  In 
the  one  case  the  act  is  one  of  moral  delinquency,  in 
the  other  it  is  tyranny.  It  is,  however,  often er  delin- 
quency   on    the    part   of    worshipers,    congregational 


27 

indifference,  than  high-handed  usurpation,  that  results 
in  a  monopoly  of  song.  Choirs,  like  ministers,  are 
only  human  ;  and  if  they  are  left  to  do  all  the  singing, 
as  some  ministers  are  the  praying,  they  will  do  it,  and 
they  are  not  to  be  blamed  under  such  circumstances 
for  consulting  their  own  tastes.  But  if  a  congregation 
will  sing,  has  the  heart  and  the  voice  to  sing,  insists 
upon  its  right  to  sing,  every  sensible  choir  will  not 
only  gracefully  yield,  but,  with  a  clear  knowledge  of  its 
legitimate  work,  gladly  lend  its  influence  to  popularize 
good  singing.  Good  singing  ;  for  it  is,  to  say  the  kast 
as  grievous  a  wrong  to  murder  a  tune  by  nasal  drawl- 
ing or  careless  expression,  as  to  leave  it  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  a  few  amateurs.  Expression,  precision, 
harmony,  are  all  in  good  taste  ;  they  are  not  hin- 
dranc2s  to,  but  promoters  of,  spirituality,  provided 
the  element  of  congregational  participation  be  not 
excluded. 

Here  it  is  but  just  to  recognize  and  emphasize  the 
incontestable  claims  of  certain  hymns  never  to  be 
separated  from  their  corresponding  tunes.  God  seals 
marriage  vows  through  other  than  official  lips.  By 
the  voice  of  his  providence,  by  the  instinctive  demands 
of  Christian  propriety,  the  bans  are  proclaimed  and 
the  union  sealed  ;  and  what  God  so  joins  together,  let 
not  man  dare  put  asunder.  It  is  an  act  of  violence, 
offensive  to  good  taste  and  delicacy  of  feeling,  to  di- 
vorce what  God  has  married.  And  certain  hymns  are 
wedded  for  all  time  to  certain  tunes.  "All  hail  the 
power  of  Jesus  name,"  is  shorn  of  half  its  beauty  and 
grandeur  unless  it  move  to  the  royal  strains  of  "  Coro- 
nation ;"  Edson  seems  to  have  caught  the  spirit  of 
Charles  Wesley's  "  Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow,"  when 


28 

he  composed  "  Lenox  ;"  and  Hastings''  "  Rock  of  Ages" 
can  find  but  one  hymn  in  our  language  to  bear  it  fit- 
ting company.  And  such  tunes  as  Arlington,  Balerma, 
Hamburg,  Dundee,  Peterhoro,  and  Heber,  about  which 
lingers  the  fragrance  of  a  thousand  services  of  Chris- 
tian song  and  prayer,  have  a  claim  to  polite  treatment 
and  occasional  use.  It  is  not  fair  to  cut  an  old  friend, 
because  the  new  one  has  a  more  gloss}^  coat. 

Preaching  fails  equally  with  song  to  accomplish  its 
mission,  unless  it  be  simple,  direct,  spiritual.  Culture 
is  no  hindrance,  beauty  of  diction  no  incongruity,  rich- 
ness of  illustration  not  forbidden  ;  but  the  end  of  all 
preaching  must  bo  clearly  apprehended,  and  unw^ea- 
riedl}^  pursued.  That  end  is  not  the  production  of 
astonishment,  the  passing  of  an  hour  in  kaleidoscopic 
exhibitions,  but  the  instruction  of  the  conscience  and 
the  moving  of  the  will.  And  if  that  will  can  not  be 
moved  on  the  line  of  gentle  entreaty,  there  should  be 
a  return  to  the  charge  from  another  direction.  If  the 
rock  can  not  be  broken  by  drill,  wedge,  and  hammer, 
try  blasting,  only  let  there  be  a  hreaking.  If  an  ordi- 
nary leverage  can  not  effect  the  purpose,  put  an  earth- 
quake under  men,  but  by  all  means  move  tliein.  It  is 
for  you  to  say  whether  such  shall  be  the  nature  of 
your  preaching  or  not.  Efficient  pastors  give  direc- 
tion and  tone  to  the  character  of  the  churches  to 
whom  they  minister  ;  but  churches,  in  their  right 
to  choose,  call,  and  dismiss  their  pastors,  have  larg-^e 
power  to  determine  the  nature  of  their  pulpit  minis- 
trations. 

"  The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be  greater  than 
of  the  former,"  if  you  jealously  guard  and  maintain 
the  simplicity  and  spirituality  of  public  worship. 


29 

IV. — Finally,  the  mission  of  a  Church  of  Christ  in- 
cludes, pre-eminently,  the  winning  of  souls. 

To  win  souls  is  not  merely  to  draw  them  within  the 
circle  of  church-membership,  but  so  to  train  them  and 
provoke  them  to  good  works,  that  the  lineaments  and 
lustre  of  the  divine  image,  marred  and  obscured  by  sin, 
shall  flash  in  fresher  glory  from  every  royal  attribute. 
Of  such  lively,  living  stones  is  the  true  temple  of  God 
built.  All  other  structures  are  but  temporary,  and 
subservient  to  this.  Temples  of  stone  are  but  the  rude 
scaffolding  for  the  rearing  of  this  temple  of  unfading 
splendor. 

It  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  collect  the  material,  and 
fashion  it  fittingly  into  such  a  living,  abiding  structure. 
To  overcome  ignorance  by  truth,  "line  upon  line, 
precept  upon  precept,"  to  vanquish  prejudice  and  hate 
by  love,  to  draw  men  out  of  selfishness  into  broad 
philanthropy,  to  make  them  lovers  of  God  and  defend- 
ers of  his  law,  is  not  an  insignificant  task.  But  the 
valuable  in  possession  is  ever  arduous  of  attainment. 
You  must  dig  for  gold,  and  dive  for  pearls. 

From  the  great,  rough  quarry  came  the  stone  that 
has  been  fitted  into  this  building.  The  rude,  shape- 
less masses  covered  all  the  ground  ;  and  they  who 
passed  by  had  but  little  conception  of  the  prophecy  of 
beauty  hidden  in  the  rugged  blocks.  Yet  in  them 
slumbered  shaft  and  capital,  arch,  turret,  cornice,  and 
cross.  Men,  dexterous  in  the  handling  of  chisel  and 
mallet,  came  and  fashioned  the  rude  heap  according 
to  the  patterns  furnished  by  the  master-workman. 
An  unskilled  eye  discovered  no  unity  of  plan,  no 
grand,  overruling,  shaping  ideal,  to  which  the  labor  of 
a  score  or  two  of  men  was  being  adjusted,  but  only  a 


30 

monotonous  movhio;  to  and  fro,  while  the  ear  was 
saluted  with  an  uninterrupted  click  of  hammer.  To 
the  architect,  the  monotony  was  expressive  elo- 
quence, and  the  clicking, — music,  for  they  moved  in 
harmony  w^ith  the  final  design.  And  so  the  founda- 
tions were  laid,  the  walls  rose  above  them,  the  arches 
were  sprung,  the  roof  was  fitted,  the  turrets  appeared, 
the  graceful  spire  mounted  slowly  upward,  and  the 
top-stone,  laid  with  rejoicing,  completed  the  edifice. 
Then  its  stately  proportions,  its  massive  strength,  its 
chaste  beauty,  stood  revealed.  Every  eye  could  see 
them,  and  every  lip  acknowledged  them. 

So  God  bids  us  go  into  the  rough  quarries  of  the 
world's  life  to  gather  material  for  his  spiritual  temple. 
We  look  on  men,  and  see  but  little  to  stimulate  zeal 
and  inspire  hope.  Yet  in  every  soul  slumbers  a  sub- 
lime prophecy  of  glory  ;  every  heart  is  the  habitation 
of  a  score  of  royal  tenants,  each  having  a  divine  right 
to  wear  a  crown,  wield  a  sceptre,  and  rule  a  kingdom. 
We  need  but  patiently  to  hew  according  to  the  pat- 
tern furnished  us  in  the  divine  Word  and  in  the  divine 
Man,  and  move  in  obedience  to  the  direction  of  the 
great,  superintending  Architect,  to  find,  in  the  day 
when  our  work  is  completed,  that  glory  flashes  from 
every  part.  How  monotonous  is  our  task !  How  unpo- 
etic,  often,  in  pulpit,  prayer  circle,  and  Sabbath  school ! 
How  our  patience  is  tried,  and  discouragement  seizes  us 
sometimes  !  How  we  cry  in  our  despondency  :  "  How 
long,  0  Lord  ;  how  long  !''  Yet  is  the  monotony  of 
our  strokes  music  in  the  ears  of  the  divine  Architect, 
because  it  moves  to  the  stately  tread  of  his  great  de- 
signs. The  foundations  are  being  laid,  the  walls  are 
rising,  and  soon  the  top-stone  will  be  laid  amid  the 


31 

shouting  of  the  great  sacramental  host  of  God's  elect : 
"  Grace,  grace,  unto  it  !" 

From  what  we  have  seen  here  every  day  for  more 
than  eighteen  months,  let  us  learn  a  lesson.  Let  us 
labor  as  unweariedly  and  patiently  and  obediently  on 
the  spiritual  temple,  as  strong  hands  and  willing 
hearts  have  labored  on  this  structure  of  stone.  And 
as  over  our  local  habitation  has  been  set  the  cross, 
earliest  Christian  sign  and  symbol, — the  emblem,  not 
of  Romanism,  but  of  Christian  faith, — so  let  the  cross 
tower  over  all  that  we  plan  and  do  within  these  walls. 
Be  that  the  end  and  crown  of  all  our  work.  Let  the 
silent  preacher  of  stone  never  be  contradicted  or  dis- 
graced. Here  let  the  true  cross  be  exalted, — the  cross 
on  which  Christ  died  to  save  the  ungodly, — the  cross 
that  rebukes  all  pride  and  selfishness,  and  incites  men 
to  humility  and  brotherly  love. 

To  sum  up  the  whole  in  one  closing  thought,  it  will 
be  the  glory  of  this  house  if  God  deign  to  dwell  here, 
if  he  cast  over  these  walls  the  folds  of  his  mantle,  and 
enter  to  own  his  truth,  to  kindle  the  fires  of  universal 
love,  to  inspire  joy  in  worship,  and  to  reveal  his  power 
in  the  saving  of  men.     So  "  the  glory  of  this  latter 

HOUSE  SHALL  BE  GREATER  THAN  OF  THE  FORMER." 


32 


AFTERNOON  SERVICE. 

At  lialf-past  three  o'clock  P.  M.  the  house  was 
crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity,  hundreds  being  un- 
able to  gain  admittance,  by  the  members  of  the 
various  village  churches  and  congregations,  to  join  in 
a  general,  Christian  congratulatory  service.  A  por- 
tion of  Scripture  was  read,  and  prayer  offered  by  the 
Rev.  L.  W.  MuDGE,  pastor  of  the  Westminster  Pres- 
byterian Church.  The  pastor  of  the  church,  in  the 
opening  address,  extended  a  most  hearty  Christian 
welcome  to  the  pastors  who  were  present,  and 
through  them  to  their  respective  churches,  and  was 
met  with  a  response  of  equally  outspoken  cordiality 
in  addresses  by  the  Rev.  M.  D.  C.  Crawford,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cole,  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  A.  Jag- 
GOR,  rector  of  the  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church.  The 
meeting  was  one  of  marked  heartiness,  and  inspiriting 
to  the  highest  degree. 

EVENING  SERVICE. 

In  the  evening  a  very  large  audience  listened,  with 
unwearied  interest,  to  a  forcible  plea  for  "Faith  in 
God,"  from  the  Rev.  C.  D'  W.  BridGxMan,  D.  D.,  pas- 
tor of  the  Pearl  Street  Baptist  Church,  Albany.  The 
sermon  appears  in  these  pages  much  condensed,  but 
the  summary  is  full  and  unmutilated  in  point  of  ex- 
pression. 


33 


S  E  E  M  0  N. 


"  Why  sayest  thou,  0  Jacob,  and  speakest,  O  Israel,  My  way  is  hid 
from  the  Lord,  and  my  judgment  is  passed  over  from  my  God?  Hast 
thou  not  known,  hast  thou  not  heard,  that  the  everlasting  God,  the 
Lord,  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is 
weary  ?"— Isaiah  xl.,  27,  28. 

No  man  in  Israel  had  such  reason  to  be  hopeless  as 
he  who  wrote  these  words.  His  failure  had  been  pre- 
dicted when  he  was  commissioned  to  his  work  ;  his 
words  had  died  like  echoes  into  air  ;  his  life  seemed 
ending  in  defeat.  Yet  with  such  reason  to  be  sad,  I 
know  no  work  so  charged  with  hope,  so  exultant  and 
elastic  in  its  joy,  as  this  song  of  the  gray-haired  seer, 
the  sublimest  in  all  literature, — the  epic  of  Messiah's 
reign, — Isaiah's  Paradise  regained.  Yerily,  it  is  from 
deepest  wells  men  see  the  stars  most  brightly.  The 
words  of  loftiest  cheer  are  ever  spoken  by  the  men 
who  voice  their  hope  in  sadness,  and  who  have  learned 
in  suffering  what  they  teach  in  song.     Consider, 

I. — That  the  prophet  here  reaches  and  rests  upon 
the  foundation  qf  the  faith^  and  hope  of  mankind — the 
LIVING  God. 

Creation  rests  upon  God's  hand  ;  man  rests  upon 
His  heart.  We  rest  on  nature  with  a  most  tranquil 
confidence  in  the  stability  of  its  order.  No  doubt  sad- 
dens our  gaze  on  the  sunset  splendor,  lest  its  glories 
should  never  more  be  pictured  before  a  weary  world. 
In  harvest  fields  the  scythes  will  soon  be  flashing  at 


34 

their  summer  task,  and  binders'  hands  be  busy  with 
the  yellow  sheaves.  Only  the  bare,  brown  stubble 
will  tell  where  the  wheat  once  shimmered  in  the  ripen- 
ing sun.  But  no  fear  darkens  in  the  laborer's  heart, 
lest  nature  should  not  again  bring  harvests  to  their 
birth.  He  has  faith  in  nature  ;  his  plans  rest  on  it  • 
but,  in  truth,  they  are  resting  only  upon  God. 

What  his  power  is  to  the  material  creation,  God's  mor- 
al nature  is  to  the  spiritual  universe.  Here  the  conflict- 
ing elements  exceed  in  number  and  power  those  of  the 
lower  realms.  The  clang  of  conflict  fills  the  air  ;  the 
confusion  is  often  bewildering  ;  and  the  good  seems 
born  to  a  heritage  of  defeat  and  dishonor.  Where  the 
prophet  rested,  we  must  rest — on  Jehovah's  supreme 
and  everlasting  strength.  Beyond  that  he  could  not, 
— we  can  not — go.  This  is  the  one  grand  refuge 
against  despondency  and  despair  ;  the  one  ultimate 
answer  of  the  Bible  to  all  the  questions  that  perplex 
the  intellect  of  man, — that  the  everlasting  God  faint- 
eth  not,  neither  is  weary,  that  He  lives  and  reigns. 
Blessed  is  he  who  has  this  faith  and  keeps  it.     Consider, 

II. — The  encouragements  that  have  been  given  us 
to  the  exercise  of  faith. 

God's  Word.  There  is  something  of  majestic  grand- 
eur in  the  appeal  of  Isaiah  in  this  chapter  :  "  Lift  up 
your  eyes  on  high,  and  behold  who  hath  created  these 
things,  that  bringeth  out  their  host  by  number.  He 
calleth  them  all  by  names  ;  not  one  faileth."  There 
they  were  above  him,  bright  hosts  that  gleam  forever 
with  the  everlasting  Presence, — flocks  of  God,  pastured 
in  the  meadows  of  the  night  and  folded  every  morn- 
ing by  the  veil  of  sunrise, — uttering  their  protest 
against  this  earth's  despair. 


35 

We  are  of  more  value  to  his  heart  than  such  soul- 
less things.  God  tells  us,  if  words  can  tell,  that  the 
creation  culminates  in  man  ;  that,  grand  as  are  the 
interests  involved  with  the  upliolding  of  these  outward 
things,  they  were  made  for  man,  and  for  the  uphold- 
ing of  man's  life,  and  shrink  to  nothing  before  the 
grandeur  of  that  struggle  which  goes  on  in  the  arena 
of  one  solitary  human  heart.  We  have  been  taken  up 
into  his  deepest  counsels  ;  we  are  the  burden  upon 
his  thoughts  ;  involved  in  his  supreme  and  everlasting- 
purpose. 

GocVs  Love.  That  love  is  revealed  in  the  name  that 
He  delights  to  use, — a  name  revealing  a  depth  and 
strength  of  tenderness  that  language  can  not  exhaust 
— Father.  God  here  declares  that  we  are  not  only 
involved  with  his  most  cherished  counsels,  but  that 
we  are  needed  to  satisfy  the  yearnings  of  his  fatherly 
affection.  For  his  own  sake,  for  the  sake  of  some- 
thing deeper  in  him  than  his  purpose,  God  seeks  the 
world,  yearns  over  it  from  age  to  age,  and  strives  to 
bind  it  in  its  sufferings  and  struggles  by  the  cords  of 
his  truth  and  love  unto  himself. 

But  God's  love  reaches  its  highest  exhibition  in  the 
Cross.  Listen  to  those  grand  old  words,  which  we 
have  heard  so  often  that  we  have  forgotten  they  were 
ever  new  :  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
might  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  There  is 
the  crowning  argument  for  faith.  The  Father  marked 
the  tottering  steps  of  the  victim  who  bore  the  cross  ; 
He  heard  the  shout  of  the  murderers  as  they  hurried 
to  their  horrible  deed  ;  He  saw  the  thickening  gloom 
as    the    death-shadows    gathered    around    his    thorn- 


36 

scarred  brow  :  He  heard  the  piercing  cry  of  the  victim 
as  the  siu  of  the  world  let  ft^ll  its  crushing  burden  on 
his  heart, — and  still  He  held  the  cup  of  death  to  the 
sufierer's  lips,  and  for  your  dear  sakes  did  neither 
shrink  nor  spare  himself  the  agony  of  that  sacrifice. 
It  was  the  Father's  love  which  the  Son  was  reveaUns: 
in  his  own.  And  there  the  record  stands, — the  re- 
cord of  the  afronv  and  abandonment,  of  the  sufFerino- 
death,  and  victory,  to  speak  when  stars  are  dumb,  and 
tell  each  suffering,  struggling  human  spirit  that  heaven 
is  for  him  in  the  battle,  and  to  rejoice  in  tl:ke  living, 
everlasting  God.     Let  us  now, 

III. — Apply  these  principles  to  those  seasons  in  our 
experience  when  faith  in  God  is  our  only  inspiration 
to  hopefulness  of  spirit,  and  to  constancy  of  effort. 

1.  Xo  man  with  any  depth  of  nature  passes  through 
life  without  knowing  moments  when  the  deepest  root- 
fibres  of  his  faith  in  God  are  strained  and  ready  to  lose 
their  hold.  There  are  calamities  which  touch  not 
hfe  only,  but  what  is  moie  precious  than  life,  and 
which  compel  the  cry,  ''0  that  I  now  might  die!*'" 
Argument  is  useless.  There  is  one  word  alone  that 
touches  the  central  strength, — "  Have  faith  ix  God.'' 
The  way  may  seem  hidden  ;  God  may  seem  to  have 
forgotten  us. — but  the  cross  is  there, — God's  pledge 
of  everlasting  love,  and  does  not  that  sacrifice  hght 
up  the  mvstery,  and  constrain  the  utterance.  "Though 
He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  Him?"  We  must  be 
brought,  as  Job  was  brought,  to  rest  on  the  unchang- 
ing love  and  fidelity  of  God. 

2.  In  the  weary  search  of  intellect  for  truth.  There 
are  hours  in  every  man's  experience  when  life  seems 
a  riddle  to  which  he   can  find    no   clew.      We  faint 


37 

before  the  difficalty  of  knowing  what  we  would  know 
of  nature,  and  hfe,  and  Grod,  There  is  no  rest  save 
that  which  conies  with  our  faith  in  God.  He  sees 
what  we  can  not  see  ;  He  understands  what  we  can 
not  grasp  ;  He  has  a  method,  though  it  transcends  our 
thought.  Tlie  shadows  of  these  mysteries  are  the 
darkness  which  encompass  the  throne,  and  it  will 
break  away  and  reveal  the  righteousness  and  justice 
which  inhabit  it.  And  to  sav  this,  is  to  sav  that  Grod 
intends  that  I  shall  understand  the  mystery  in  due 
time. 

3.  In  those  crises  of  history,  when  truth,  and  virtue, 
and  manhood  seem  perishing  from  the  world. 

There  is  a  tide  in  the  moral,  as  in  the  physical  order 
of  the  world.  There  are  ages  when  the  heavenly 
currents  seem  to  flood  the  channels  of  the  world's 
activity,  and  ages  when  they  seem  to  ebb  again,  and 
leave  the  coasts  all  bare  and  drv.  The  worst  times, 
however,  have  been  the  nurses  of  a  future  good :  and 
yet,  whenever  the  denser  darkness  has  set  in,  the 
Church  has  been  tempted  to  renounce  her  hope  of 
progress,  and  to  proclaim  that  the  terrible  day  of  the 
Lord  was  near.  The  age  of  the  captivity,  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  the  tenth  century,  the 
fifteenth,  were  regarded  by  the  earnest  spirits  of  the 
time  as  the  end  of  this  earth's  history.  But  the  deeper 
darkness  in  each  case  was  but  the  herald  of  a  better 
day.  Evil  as  these  times  are  with  the  plottings  of  lust 
and  deeds  of  violence,  corrupt  as  are  our  politics, 
profaned  as  are  our  sanctuaries  of  justice  and  our 
halls  of  legislation,  darker  days  may  yet  be  coming: 
we  mav  touch  a  lower  deep.  What  then  ?  Sliall  we 
take  up  the  cry  of  coming  tribulation,  coming  judg- 


38 

ment,  coming  redemption  of  tlie  elect  by  the  strong, 
stern  hand  of  the  King  who  shall  rule  the  nations  with 
a  rod  of  iron,  and  dash  them  into  pieces  like  a  potter's 
vessel  ?  Oh !  none  of  this.  The  world  has  lived 
through  all  such  ages  in  the  past,  and  come  forth 
brighter,  younger,  from  the  baptism  of  suffering  it 
endured.  As  God  lives,  reforms  will  come,  the  evil 
be  conc|uered  and  purged  away,  and  the  fair  aspects 
of  His  Kingdom  shall  be  revealed  more  broadlj^ 
brightly,  in  the  face  of  heaven.  Though  it  seems  as 
if  the  evil  were  having  way,  and  goodness  were  being 
trampled  under  foot,  yet  God's  word  breaks  out  into 
voices  of  hope  and  cheer.  Through  the  thick  darkness 
we  catch  the  shouts  of  the  watchmen  as  they  call  to 
one  another  from  the  heights  of  revelation,  and  our 
faith  strengthens  while  we  listen — "God  liveth,  God 
reigneth,  and  all's  well." 

4.  And  this,  beloved,  is  the  grand  inspiring  motive 
which  impels  and  sustains  the  Church  in  all  her  enter- 
prises for  the  glory  of  our  Lord,  and  the  salvation  of 
the  world.  If  God's  thought,  God's  life,  be  in  them, 
they  shall  survive  all  seeming  failure,  and  come  unto 
a  glorious  harvest  at  the  last ;  and  they  who  have 
staked  their  hopes,  their  lives,  upon  them,  will  have 
their  share  in  the  magnificent  reward. 

It  is  said  that  the  Douglas  took  the  heart  of  his 
great  captain,  Bruce,  inclosed  in  a  silver  case,  to  the 
wars  against  the  infidels.  Whenever  the  battle  went 
hard  against  the  soldiers  of  the  Cross,  he  would  un- 
clasp it  from  his  neck,  and  fling  it  far  on  before  them 
into  the  midst  of  the  enemies'  war,  shouting:  "Pass 
on,  great  heart,  into  the  midst  of  the  battle  as  oft 
thou  hast   done.      The  Douglas  will  follow  thee,  or 


39 

die."  One  loves  to  see  a  man  daring,  as  it  were,  to 
cast  his  heart  on  in  advance  of  him.  "There  is  the 
line  of  progress !  There  is  the  beckoning  finger  of 
God's  Providence  !  Press  on,  great  thought,  warm  with 
the  life-blood  of  a  beating  heart,  press  on  !  Man  will 
follow  thee,  or  die."  No,  none  have  ever  died  in 
such  a  battle  ;  far  on  as  they  may  project  their  spirits, 
they  shall  live  to  pass  onward,  and  yet  onward. 

0  men  and  women,  working  for  God's  kingdom  in 
these  days  of  discord  and  corruption,  this  is  the 
glorious  inspiration  with  which  God  urges  us  toward 
great  ventures,  lofty  sacrifices  in  the  carrying  forward 
of  our  work  for  him.  His  promise  stands  between  us 
and  despair:  "Fear  not;  I  will  help  thee  ;  I  will 
help  thee,  saith  the  Lord,  and  thy  Redeemer,  the 
Holy  One  of  Israel."  Our  way  may  seem  hedged  up 
at  times  ;  deep  seas  roll  between  us  and  the  land  of 
our  desire.  But  victory  will,  must  come  at  last,  — 
for  our  faith  is  in  the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the 
Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  who  "  fainteth  not, 

NEITHER    IS    WEARY." 


40 


CONGEATULATOEY  MEETING. 


A  CONGRATULATORY  meeting  was  held  in  the  audi- 
ence room  of  the  new  church  edifice  on  Monday  even- 
ing, June  21,  1869.  Special  arrangements  had  been 
made  with  the  managers  of  the  Hudson  River  Railroad 
for  the  accommodation  of  visitors  from  the  city,  many 
of  whom  had  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  attend  the 
meeting.  The  day,  however,  proved  to  be  very  un- 
propitious,  in  marked  contrast  with  the  preceding  Sab- 
bath. Sunday  was  a  day  of  days,  bright,  sunny,  and 
cheerful;  the  intense  heat  of  the  afternoon  being 
relieved  by  a  most  welcome,  refreshing  shower  : — on 
Monday,  the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents,  and  all 
through  the  day  gave  no  promise  of  abatement. 
Toward  evening  the  violence  of  the  storm  passed 
away,  but  the  heavens  continued  to  present  a  threat- 
ening appearance,  preventing  many  from  venturing 
away  from  their  homes.  The  fears  of  some,  however, 
that  the  attendance  would  be  very  small,  proved  to 
be  groundless.  The  body  of  the  house  was  well  filled 
with  an  audience  whose  attention  and  interest  were 
fresh  and  unwearied  from  the  beginning  to  the  close. 
The  large  attendance  at  this  meeting,  under  such 
unfavorable  circumstances,  was  not  the  least  of  the 
many  evidences  expressive  of  the  appreciative  recog- 
nition, by  the  Church  and  the  community,  of  the  great 
gift  of  Bros.  Trevor  and  Colgate. 


41 

The  pastor,  Rev.  A.  J.  F.  Behrends,  presided. 
After  prayer,  the  chah'man  stated  the  object  of  the 
gathering  in  the  following  introductory  address : 

The  call  for  this  meeting  originated  in  the  spontaneous  expression  of  a 
very  strong  desire  on  the  part  of  prominent  members  of  the  Church,  that  the 
munificent  gift  of  our  brethren,  Trevor  and  Colgate,  be  formally  and  appro- 
priately recognized  and  responded  to.  On  Friday  evening,  June  11th,  a  Com- 
mittee was  raised  by  vote  of  the  Church  and  Congregation  present,  consisting 
of  the  Pastor,  P.  F.  Peek,  G.  Hilton  Scribner,  Luther  W.  Frost,  and 
James  Randell,  with  full  power  to  call  the  proposed  meeting  and  conduct 
the  same,  draft  resolutions,  and  secure  speakers.  In  this  movement,  they  are 
happy  to  say,  the  Committee  have  since  been  joined,  through  formal  petition, 
by  a  number  of  prominent  citizens,  not  members  of  the  Church  or  of  the  Con- 
gregation, thus  enlarging  the  scope  and  significance  of  this  meeting. 

An  occasion  like  the  present  is  not  without  its  embarrassments.  "We 
ought  to  be  enthusiastic,  yet  our  enthusiasm  ought  to  have  the  flavor  of  com- 
bined dignity  and  delicacy.  Virtue  is  commendable,  but  if  the  commendation 
partake  of  the  character  of  fulsome  praise,  virtue's  cheek  mantles  with  the 
blush  of  shame,  not  with  the  glow  of  delight.  There  are  seasons  when 
silence,  or  partially  checked  utterance,  is  more  eloquent  than  the  flow  of 
rounded  sentence.  A  glance  may  speak  volumes,  and  carry  a  more  precious 
weight  of  meaning  than  a  whole  shelf  of  cumbersome  folios.  And  I  feel 
that  words  are  not  able  to  embody  the  throng  of  thought  and  feeling  sug- 
gested by  the  walls  within  which  we  have  gathered.  No  engrossed  resolutions, 
no  burning  words  from  lips  of  men,  who  have  grasped  the  greatness  of  this 
undertaking,  and  appreciate  the  noble  generosity  that  prompted  it,  are  half 
so  expressive  as  this  symmetrical,  massive  pile  itself.  This  house  is  itself  the 
best  recognition  of  the  large-hearted  benevolence  of  our  friends.  Their 
reward  abides  in  the  rocky  foundations  of  this  structure,  in  the  strength 
of  these  walls,  in  the  grace  and  symmetry  of  shaft  and  spire.  These  will 
speak  when  we  have  passed  away,  and  our  children  have  grown  old  ;  and 
like  wine  that  men  hoard  in  cellars,  time  will  only  improve  the  worth  of  their 
testimony. 

Yet  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh.  We  owe 
our  brethren  the  tribute  of  a  proper  and  public  recognition.  The  heart  is 
full,  full  to  overflowing ;  let  the  lips  find  full  expression.  Let  us  seize  the 
greatness  of  the  hour,  and  do  fitting  honor  to  the  same ;  never  forgetting  that 
the  praise  due  to  our  brethren  is  but  a  faint  reflection  of  the  glory  due  to 
Him,  whose  is  the  gold  and  silver  of  earth,  and  who  appoints  men  the 
stewards  of  his  bounty. 

On  behalf  of  the  Committee,  I  have  the  honor  to  present  the  following 
preamble  and  resolutions  for  your  approval  and  adoption  : 

Whereas,  Our  brethren,  Johx  B.  Trevor  and   Jasies  B.  Colgate,  have 


42 

manifested  a  spirit  of  liberality  and  an  intensity  of  interest  worthy  of  the  high- 
est commendation,  in  the  munificent  gift  of  a  beautiful  house  of  worship  to 
the  Warburton  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  and  so  transferring  the  same  that  the 
Church  can  not  fail  to  have  a  thoroughly  furnished  local  habitation,  and  enjoy 
the  highest  opportunities  for  the  effective  prosecution  of  Christian  work,  as 
long  as  the  spirit  of  worship  remains  in  the  body  of  her  membership  ;  and 

Whereas,  It  is,  and  ever  must  continue  to  be,  a  matter  of  just  village 
pride  that  within  the  boundary  lines  of  our  local  habitation  there  have  been 
nourished  a  benevolence  so  large-hearted  and  an  execution  so  painstaking,  and 
that  our  soil  has  been  honored  with  so  great  and  enduring  a  monument  of 
Christian  liberality  and  devotion  ;  and 

Whereas,  This  noble  act  of  Christian  generosity,  noble  in  conception,  in 
the  amount  of  money  expended,  in  the  care  personally  given  to  the  enterprise, 
and  in  the  free  heartiness  of  its  conveyance  to  the  Church  for  the  use  of  a 
Baptist  house  of  worship  forever,  is  a  significant  expression  of  the  full 
indorsement  by  our  brethren  of  the  principles  of  the  denomination  of  which 
they  are  honored  members  ;  therefore 

Resolved,  That,  as  members  of  the  Warburton  Avenue  Baptist  Church 
and  Congregation,  we  unite  most  cordially  in  this  formal  expression  of  our 
thorough  appreciation  of  the  noble  generosity  of  our  brethren,  Trevor  and 
Colgate,  earnestly  praying  "  that  these  new  walls  may  never  reverberate  with 
the  strife  of  brethren,  but  resound  with  the  teachings  of  God's  Word,  accom- 
panied with  the  notes  of  praise  and  prayer,  that  the  interesting  associations 
clustering  around  the  old  may  be  transferred  to  the  new  edifice,  and  here  be 
entwined  with  dearer,  and  fresher,  and  more  glorious  associations,  and  that 
"  He  who  dwelleth  between  the  cherubim  "  may  shine  forth,  and  fill  the  house 
with  his  glory. 

Resolved,  That,  as  citizens  of  the  village  of  Yonkers,  as  admirers  of  the 
beautiful  in  art  and  of  the  enduring  in  construction,  as  lovers  of  good  order, 
promoted  more  by  schools  and  churches  than  by  police  and  prisons,  we  hail 
with  hearty  joy  this  noble  addition  to  the  place  of  our  habitation,  and  rejoice 
in  this  added  assurance  of  peaceful  Sabbaths  and  unmolested  homes. 

Resolved,  That  we  hail  the  generous  act  of  our  brethren  as  calculated  to 
inspire  a  just  pride  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  throughout  our  broad  land  are 
bound  to  them  by  ecclesiastical  associations,  and  as  an  eloquent  plea  to  the 
men  of  means  in  our  denomination  to  consecrate  during  life  their  substance  to 
the  Lord. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions,  engrossed,  be,  by  the  Commit- 
tee appointed  to  draft  the  same,  duly  certified  and  presented  to  Messrs.  John 
B.  Trevor  and  James  B.  Colgate,  severally,  as  an  abiding  memorial  of  this 
occasion. 

John  M.  Bruce,  Jr.,  Esq.,  of  Yonkers,  moved  the 
approval  and  adoption  of  the  above  resolutions.     The 


43 

motion  having  been  seconded  by  A.  F.  Decker,  Esq., 
the  first  resolution  was  responded  to,  on  behalf  of  the 
Church,  by  the  Rev.  Edward  Bright,  D.  D.,  editor 
of  the  Examiner  and  Chronicle,  as  follows  : 


AVe  are  told  that  when  a  favorite  servant  of  a  Roman  Centurion  was  ill 
in  Capernaum — that  city  which  overlooked  the  Galilean  sea,  much  as  our 
own  beautiful  town  overlooks  the  Hudson — Jewish  elders  were  commissioned 
to  intercede  with  Jesus  for  the  sick  man's  cure.  They  hastened  upon  their 
merciful  errand  with  the  plea  that  he  was  "'  worthy  "  for  whom  the  Savior 
was  asked  to  do  this,  because  he  loved  their  nation  and  had  built  for  them 
a  synagogue. 

AVe  come  this  evening,  in  the  fullness  of  our  hearts,  to  acknowledge  a 
richer  gift  than  Capernaum  received  from  the  Roman  soldier ;  and  if  the 
Great  Healer  was  made  the  more  willing  by  that  Centurion's  benefaction  to 
bless  his  home,  may  we  not  come  with  even  more  than  the  Centurion's  faith, 
to  implore  that  same  sympathizing  and  mighty  Jesus  to  bless  the  persons  and 
the  homes  of  those  who  have  built  for  us  this  large,  massive,  elegant,  and 
complete  house  in  which  to  worship  God.  Lord  I  those  for  whom  we  ask 
thy  benedictions  love  our  nation  more  than  a  Roman  Centurion  loved  the 
land  over  which  he  watched  ;  and  have  built  for  us,  not  the  temporary  syna- 
gogue of  a  religion  that  is  passing  away,  but  a  house  in  which  we,  and  our 
children,  and  our  children's  children,  from  generation  to  generation,  may  hear 
the  truths  and  celebrate  the  institutions  of  a  religion  which  liveth  and  abideth 
forever  I  AVilt  thou  not  give  those  who  have  done  this  for  us  and  for  Thee, 
thy  ceaseless  care,  thy  abiding  love  ? 

I  need  not  seek  to  impress  any  mind  here  with  the  greatness  of  this  gift  by 
illustrations  of  its  money  cost.  There  is  too  much  eloquent  illustration  in 
what  our  eyes  see  to  call  for  the  help  of  arithmetic  to-night.  The  spacious- 
ness, the  solidity,  the  symmetry,  the  tastefulness  of  this  place,  proclaim  it  to 
be  one  of  the  superbest  gifts  ever  made  to  a  Christian  church.  I  have  won- 
dered how  the  gentlemen  who  made  it  must  have  felt  all  day  yesterday,  as 
they  saw  the  demonstrations  of  appreciation  and  gratitude  on  the  part  of  pas- 
tor, church,  and  congregation.  But  late  last  night,  one  of  the  sweet  and  mem- 
orable sayings  of  the  Lord  Jesus  came  to  me,  as  a  clew  to  what  they  must 
have  felt.  Then  I  thought :  AVell,  if  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive, 
our  brethren,  Trevor  and  Colgate,  must  have  had  blessedness  akin  to  that 
of  the  seraphic  apostle,  when  not  quite  able  to  make  up  his  mind  whether  he 
was  in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body. 

Bat  nothing,  in  this  world,  is  so  good  or  so  great  as  to  escape  the  touch 
of  a  complaining  criticism.  There  are  men  who  have  not  much  money,  and 
do  not  expect  to  have  much,  bat  who  know  precisely  bow  other  men,  who 


44 

have  raucli,  should  spend  it.  I  have  heard  some  such  persons  take  the  large 
sum  expended  on  this  house,  and  divide  it  so  as  to  give  a  portion  to  four 
or  five  other  objects,  leaving,  as  they  say,  all  that  was  needed  for  a  Baptist 
church  edifice  in  such  a  village  as  Yonkers.  But  really  I  do  not  know  why 
the  Baptist  church  edifice  of  Yonkers  should  not  be  the  best  church  edifice  in 
Yonkers  ;  and  who  can  tell  me  what  kind  of  a  place  this  village  of  ours  will 
be,  in  its  population  and  wealth,  when  half  a  century  shall  have  left  its  marks 
on  the  solid  structure  in  which  we  meet  to-night  ?  And  can  any  one  tell  me 
why  people  look  complacently  on  the  princely  private  residences  and  grounds 
which  line  the  banks  of  this  splendid  river,  and  demur  at  the  expenditure  of 
less  than  the  cost  of  some  of  them  in  building  a  house  which  is  to  be  the  spir- 
itual home  of  one  of  the  families  of  God  for  successive  generations  ?  One  of 
the  forcible  things  John  Ruskin  has  said  is,  that  the  costliness  of  church  archi- 
tecture is  not  to  be' determined  so  much  by  the  poverty  that  surrounds  it,  as 
by  the  wealth  that  centres  within  it.  The  good  King  David  sorrowfully  said  : 
"  I  dwell  in  a  house  of  cedar,  but  the  Ark  of  God  dwelleth  within  curtains  ;" 
and  Nathan  the  prophet  advised  him  to  do  all  that  was  in  his  heart.  The 
King  and  Prophet  thought  that  the  house  of  the  King  of  kings  should 
be,  at  least,  equal  to  the  house  in  which  a  king  of  Israel  lived.  But  our 
friends  who  have  built  this  beautiful  temple  have  the  advantage  of  King  David. 
They  have  done  what  he  unshed  to  do  ;  from  which  I  infer  that  it  is  better  to 
be  successful  in  forecasting  the  issues  of  such  conflicts  as  they  have  in  Wall 
Street,  than  to  be  a  successful  "  man  of  war"  such  as  David  was. 

The  house  is  finished,  and  we  have  joyfully  af'cepted  it,  as  the  precursor 
and  the  pledge  of  the  unity,  the  perpetuity,  and  the  growth  of  the  Church 
which  is  to  occupy  it.  And  as  if  to  put  special  emphasis  upon  certain  things, 
our  thoughtful  pastor  has  invited  an  eminent  gentleman,  not  of  our  own  de- 
nomination, to  be  one  of  the  speakers  this  evening.  Whatever  else  his  pres- 
ence here  may  denote,  it  must  be  an  intimation  that  no  one  of  the  better  half 
of  the  congregation,  worshiping  in  this  house,  is  ever  to  excuse  herself  for  not 
being  "  at  church  "  on  the  ground  that  she  has  "  nothing  to  wear."  I  could  not 
question  the  taste  or  the  gallantry  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  given  us  this 
perfect  edifice ;  and  yet  1  am  sure  they  did  not  intend  it  to  be  used  for  a 
weekly  display  of  elegant  millinery  and  expensive  dress-making.  Indeed,  the 
best-dressed  woman  in  a  Sabbath  congregation,  is  she  who  so  dresses  that  it  is 
not  easy  to  recollect  what  she  had  on.  "  The  poor,"  you  know,  "  we  have 
always  with  us,  and  when  we  will  we  may  do  them  good."  Let  us  not  forget 
that  one  of  the  ways  to  do  them  good,  is  to  make  as  little  display  as  possible 
of  superior  advantages  in  the  house  of  a  Father  to  whom  every  child,  however 
poor,  is  more  precious  than  a  world. 

But  we,  who  receive  this  noble  gift,  have  more  to  do  than  to  express  our 
obligations,  in  glowing  resolutions  and  enthusiastic  speeches.  It  is  for  us  to 
be  a  perpetual  embodiment  of  the  highest  forms  of  gratitude ;  and  one  of  the 
highest  forms  of  which  I  can  conceive,  is  such  a  cnuRcn  life,  within  and 


45 

beyond  these  walls,  as  shall  prove  that  those  who  have  received  this  great 
property  know  how  to  use  it  for  the  sublimest  ends. 

We  have  a  Church,  fashioned  in  its  faith  and  practice  after  what  we  be- 
lieve to  be  the  New  Testament  model.  In  our  estimation,  every  truth,  and 
every  ordinance,  and  every  command  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  a  thing  to  be  believed 
in  and  observed  with  unquestioning  fidelity.  We  can  not  accept  the  theory, 
that  one  form  of  church  government  is  as  good  as  another,  or  that  one  sum- 
mary of  Christian  doctrine,  or  one  way  of  administering  Christian  ordinances, 
is  as  right  as  another.  We  hold  the  only  right  way  of  observing  divine  in- 
stitutions to  be  the  way  which  is  divinely  revealed  and  illustrated  ;  and  hold- 
ing these  views  conscientiously  and  unwaveringly,  we  are  constrained  to 
believe  and  to  do  that  from  which  many  other  Christian  people  dissent,  and,  I 
am  sorry  to  say,  not  unfrequently  misconceive  and  misinterpret. 

But  while  we  are  Baptists,  and  have  no  thought  of  exchanging  our  faith  and 
practice  for  those  of  any  other  denomination,  let  us  demonstrate  in  our  church 
life,  to  reiterate  and  reaffirm  one  of  the  best  utterances  of  yesterday,  that  this 
house  is  not  the  spiritual  home  of  a  people  having  a  keener  eye  for  the  faults 
than  for  the  virtues  of  those  who  differ  from  them ;  and  a  readier  tongue  to 
speak  of  others  in  terms  of  disparagement  than  of  praise.  That  sort  of  church 
life  which  makes  a  sect  the  end  of  all  endeavor,  and  goes  forth  with  a  blood- 
hound scent  after  those  who  are  not  of  their  fold,  is  not  the  church  life  that 
brings  light,  and  love,  and  hope  in  its  train.  It  can  not  be  the  true  church 
life  of  a  peo^jle  who  abhor  persecution  for  opinion's  sake,  and  have  always  and 
everywhere  contended  for  the  supremacy  of  an  untrammeled  conscience  in 
matters  pertaining  to  religion.  The  rights  we  claim  for  ourselves,  we  are  to 
be  forward  in  awarding  to  others ;  and  in  so  doing  we  shall  show  how  possible 
it  is  for  a  Christian  Church  to  stand  by  its  own  beliefs  and  usages  with  un- 
swerving persistency,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  have  "  malice  toward  none 

AND    CHARITY    FOR    ALL." 

But  the  .sphere  for  the  development  of  a  true  church  life  is  as  wide  as  the 
obligations  we  owe  to  ourselves,  to  the  community  of  which  we  are  part,  and 
to  the  world.  The  friends  who  have  built  this  house  for  us  have  made  it  so 
admirable,  that  the  social  life,  the  real '  how-do-you-do'  and  '  I-am-glad-to-see- 
you'  life  of  the  church  will  have  special  facilities  for  its  nurture.  If  church 
parlors,  made  attractive  and  accessible,  are  not  to  be  classed  among  the 
"  means  of  grace,"  they  can  not  be  other  than  first  cousins  to  such  means.  The 
social  cup  of  tea,  with  its  attending  chat,  would  have  saved  many  a  church 
from  grief,  and  imparted  freshness  and  force  to  all  its  enterprises. 

There  is  a  cheerful,  gushing,  enthusiastic  way  of  doing  things,  instinct 
with  the  spirit  of  an  all-animating  life.  Things  thus  done  fill  up  congrega- 
tions, the  Sunday  school,  the  prayer  meeting,  and  react  upon  the  pulpit  like 
an  inspiration  from  God.  This  is  the  life  we  need  ;  and  this  house,  spacious 
as  it  is,  will  not  be  large  enough  for  its  blessed  manifestations.  It  will  go  forth 
in  a  thousand  forms  of  beneficence,  to  soothe  the  sorrowing,  to  instruct  the 


46 

ignorant,  and  to  save  the  vicious.  It  will  gauge  the  wants  of  every  district  of 
the  town  in  which  we  live,  and  see  that  it  has  the  means  of  a  divine  regenera- 
tion. It  will  go  out  into  the  waste  places  of  our  own  great  land,  and  of  the 
yet  vaster  world,  to  multiply,  on  every  hand,  the  triumphs  of  Him  who  is  the 
way,  the  truth,  and  the  life.  Under  the  power  of  such  a  spirit,  this  Church 
will  become,  not  only  a  "  pillar  "  and  "  ground  of  the  truth,"  but  a  school  in 
which  men  and  women  are  educated  for  the  grandest  achievements  of  Chris- 
tian love ;  and  this  house,  so  satisfying  to  our  eyes,  and  so  grateful  to  our 
hearts,  will  be  hallowed  in  our  associations,  as  one  of  the  courts  in  which  re- 
deemed souls  shall  be  evermore  fitted  and  attired  for  the  coronation  awaiting 
them  in  heaven. 

May  this  life  warm  and  expand  the  sympathies  of  the  Church  which  is 
here  to  perpetuate  and  magnify  the  truth,  as  the  truth  is  in  Jesus. 

"William  Allen  Butler,  Esq.,  of  Yonkers,  respond- 
ed by  invitation  of  the  Committee,  and  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  prominent  citizens  not  members  of  the 
Church  or  of  the  Congregation,  to  the  second  resoki- 
tion,  as  follows  : 

There  is  a  peculiar  satisfaction  in  the  contemplation  of  every  finished 
work,  whether  it  is  the  product  of  the  labor  of  one  pair  of  hands  and  of  a 
single  day,  or  of  the  combined  efforts  of  many,  through  a  long  period  of  time. 
This  is  not  wholly,  as  we  are  sometimes  tempted  to  think,  because  all  human 
plans  are  apt  to  fail  and  all  human  success  is  apt  to  be  fragmentary  and  in- 
complete ;  but  because  this  sense  of  satisfaction  is  a  part  of  our  moral  constitu- 
tion, derived  from  the  divine  Architect  who  is  represented  to  us,  on  almost 
the  first  page  of  Scripture,  as  "  resting  from  all  his  work  which  he  had 
made,"  and  pronouncing  it  "  very  good."  In  proportion  to  the  dignity  and  the 
character  of  the  completed  work  is  the  degree  of  satisfaction  which  it  inspires. 
"  The  end,"  says  the  old  classic  adage,  "  crowns  the  work,"  and  a  noble  work 
well  done  wins  and  wears  its  crown  by  a  divine  right. 

It  is  in  the  spirit  of  this  sentiment  that  we  are  here  this  evening,  as  resi- 
dents of  the  village  of  Yonkers,  to  unite  our  congratulations  with  those  of  this 
Society  and  the  great  religious  denomination  of  which  it  forms  a  part,  upon 
the  successful  completion  of  this  beautiful  house  of  worship.  The  occasion,  so 
full  of  interest  and  of  sympathy,  seems  to  me  to  resemble  the  sacred  edifica 
whose  walls  encompass  us,  in  this,  that  it  presents  a  two-fold  aspect, — interior 
and  external.  To  those  who  arc  to  worship  here  and  to  those  who  sympathize 
with  them  in  denominational  views,  the  chief  attraction  of  this  service  springs 
from  the  fact,  that  here  a  new  home  is  assured  for  Christian  doctrine  and  cul- 
ture, according  to  their  own  chosen  forms  and  standards,  and  a  new  centre  of 
Christian  activity,  according  to  their  own  chosen  methods.    But  those  for 


47 

whom  I  am  to  speak  are  not  sharers  in  these  intimate  and  home-like  sympa- 
thies. Ours  is  an  exterior  view.  I  can  only  bring  you  "  the  good  report  of 
them  which  are  without,"  of  those  who  as  residents  and  citizens  of  Toukers 
have  watched  with  interest  the  progress  of  this  noble  structure,  as  it  slowly 
rose  from  its  foundation  to  its  topmost  stone,  and  who  now  claim  a  part  in 
the  expressions  of  satisfaction  which  belong  to  this  auspicious  hour.  Fortu- 
nately, the  public  sentiment  which  I  have  been  asked  to  express  is  so  univer- 
sal and  so  unanimous,  that  any  one  may  take  leave  to  give  it  utterance ;  and  I 
feel  that  I  do  not  speak  without  full  warrant  when  I  say,  in  obedience  to  my 
own  impulse,  as  well  as  to  the  promptings  of  others,  that  I  tender  to  you, 
sir,  as  the  pastor  of  this  Christian  Church  and  Congregation,  and  to  all  in 
your  circle  of  Church  communion  and  fellowship,  our  most  sincere  and  hearty 
congratulations. 

I  am  glad  that,  as  a  layman  and  a  Presbyterian,  I  stand  upon  the  safe  ground 
which  has  thus  been  marked  out  for  me.  Were  it  otherwise,  coming  as  I  do 
between  two  eminent  divines  of  the  Baptist  Church,  I  should  feel  very  much 
like  the  unfortunate  inquirer  who  could  only  define  his  position  by  comparing 
himself  to  the  blank  leaves  in  the  Bible  between  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
New  Testament.  He  had  been  converted  from  Judaism,  but  he  had  not  been 
converted  to  Christianity.  After  listening  to  the  eloquent  and  appropriate 
remarks  of  Dr.  Bright,  I  certainly  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  say  a  word 
against  the  Baptist  denomination  ;  and  before  listening  to  Dr.  Kendrick,  my 
education  has  been  so  far  neglected  that  I  have  nothing  special  to  say  in  its 
favor.  I  must  avail  myself,  therefore,  of  a  lawyer's  privilege,  and  resorting  to 
a  kind  of  legal  fiction,  ask  leave  of  my  audience  to  transport  them  bodily  out- 
side of  these  surrounding  walls  and  to  place  them  upon  one  of  the  neighboring 
eminences,  where  we  can  survey  this  sacred  edifice  from  a  point  of  view  wholly 
divested  of  any  associations  save  those  which  cluster  around  any  Christian 
Church  in  which  a  pure  gospel  is  preached  and  a  pure  piety  exemplified. 

In  this  view  our  first  glance  will  be  at  the  beauty  and  symmetry  of  the  archi- 
tectural proportions  of  the  edifice.  We  might  apply  to  the  slow  and  some- 
times apparently  tedious  mechanical  toil  by  which  the  skilled  laborers  fitted 
each  separate  part  of  the  structure,  the  familiar  lines  of  our  New  England  poet : 

"  They  builded  better  than  they  knew, 
The  conscious  stones  to  beauty  grew." 

And  now,  as  the  fruit  of  all  this  patient  toil,  a  new  feature  is  added  to  our 
landscape.  The  eye,  as  it  turns  from  the  rocky  heights  of  the  Palisades,  meets 
here  a  strength  and  solidity  in  harmony  with  those  enduring  walls,  while  the 
towering  spire  tends  upward  with  a  grace  and  beauty  kindred  to  that  with 
which  the  native  trees  on  our  surrounding  hills  point  to  the  skies. 

Church  architecture  has  had  its  periods  of  efflorescence  and  decay,  and  has 
doubtless  been  made  to  serve  the  purposes  of  superstition  and  a  corrupted  faith. 
But  we  may  rejoice  that  the  time  has  come  when  religious  thought  and  culture, 
advancing  along  the  path  marked  out  by  Providence,  can  freely  avail  them- 


48 

selves  of  whatever  tends  to  make  the  place  of  worship  beautiful  and  attractive, 
and  when  Protestantism  no  longer  needs  to  protest  against  idolatrous  abuses 
by  stripping  the  house  of  God  of  every  external  decoration.  The  New  England 
meeting-houses,  crowning  the  green  hills  with  their  glaring  white  clap-boards 
and  stunted  towers,  with  nothing  outside  to  relieve  their  native  ugliness,  and 
destitute  within  of  a  single  accessory  except  the  stove  pipe,  command  our  en- 
forced respi'ct,  though  we  can  not  admire  them.  They  "  point  a  moral,"  though 
they  certainly  "  adorn  "  nothing.  They  tell  of  resistance  to  spiritual  tyranny 
and  of  freedom  of  conscience  and  of  worship,  and  thus  they  have  served  a 
noble  purpose.  But,  happily  for  us,  such  testimonies  are  no  longer  essential,  if 
they  were  ever  necessary. 

It  seems  strange  that  a  Church  whose  divine  Founder  made  all  Nature 
subservient  to  illustrate  the  doctrines  which  he  taught,  and  who,  in  the  only 
sacraments  which  he  enjoined,  made  the  symbol  stand  for  the  substance  of  the 
truth  which  it  declared, — the  purifying  water  for  the  washing  of  regeneration, — 
the  broken  bread  for  his  crucified  body, — the  poured  wine  for  his  atoning  blood, 
— should  ever  have  shrunk  from  using  in  the  service  of  her  Master,  within 
proper  bounds,  whatever  in  nature  or  in  art  could  make  his  gospel  more 
eBBcient  or  more  attractive.  At  the  very  time  when  our  Savior  took  the  cup 
and  gave  it  to  his  disciples  the  pagan  worshipers  were  pouring  their  liba- 
tions to  Jove  and  Diana,  but  he  did  not  hesitate  to  make  the  pressed  juice  of 
the  vine  the  symbol  of  that  redeeming  work  which  he  accomplished  when  he 
trod  the  wine-press  alone.  To  a  certain  extent  all  architecture  must  be 
symbolical.  The  severe  lines  of  the  Parthenon  harmonized  with  the  grace  and 
symmetry  of  the  Grecian  culture.  The  dome  of  the  Pantheon  borrowed  its 
dignity  and  grandeur  from  the  visible  firmament.  But  the  spire  is  essentially 
Christian.  It  symbolizes  the  risen  and  ascending  Redeemer,  and  the  cross  in 
which  it  fitly  terminates,  and  which  here  so  beautifully  crowns  the  spire,  as  it 
attracts  the  gaza  of  every  eye  recalls  his  prophetic  words  :  "  And  I,  if  I  be 
lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me." 

This  completed  edifice  also  stands  as  the  visible  expression  of  the  noble 
Christian  benevolence  which  prompted  and  which  has  presided  over  its  erec- 
tion. As  the  representative  of  our  fellow-citizens  who,  without  distinction, 
have  well  appreciated  this  wise  munificence  on  the  part  of  our  highly  esteemed 
townsmen,  Messrs.  Trevor  and  Colgate,  I  should  feel  at  liberty  to  speak  with- 
out hesitation  or  reserve  if  I  dared  to  do  so.  But  it  is  the  ripe,  matured  fruit, 
whose  bloom  and  beauty  we  most  admire,  that  we  most  fear  to  spoil  by  touch- 
ing. So  it  is  with  such  rare  benefactions  as  this.  In  the  great  Cathedral  of 
St.  Paul,  after  the  eye  has  wandered  over  its  wide  spaces  and  grand  propor- 
tions, it  falls  upon  the  slab  beneath  the  centre  of  the  dome,  which  marks  the 
resting  place  of  the  architect,  with  the  simijle  inscription,  in  classic  phrase — 
"  If  you  seek  his  monument,  look  around  you."  It  is  so  here.  These  mute 
walls  best  speak  the  praise  of  those  who  have  built  them.  We  read  in  the 
sacred   narrative,  that   when  the  alabaster  box  was  broken,  and  its  costly 


49 

contents  poured  on  the  Savior's  feet  by  reverent  and  loving  hands,"  the  house 
was  filled  with  the  odor  of  the  ointment."  It  has  seemed  to  me  that  this  house 
is  filled  to-night  with  the  fragrance  ofa  Christian  beneficence  inspired,  I  doubt 
not,  by  a  kindred  spirit  of  reverence  and  of  love,  without  which  the  richest 
gift  is  a  vain  oblation,  and  with  which  the  widow's  mite  outweighs  the 
wealthiest  offering. 

But  this  completed  work  is  more  than  a  mere  architectural  ornament  to  our 
village.  It  is  more  than  a  noble  monument  of  Christian  liberality.  It  stands 
as  the  instrument  and  the  local  habitation  of  an  active,  organized  Church, 
equipped  and  provided  for  its  proper  influence  and  work.  The  resolution  to 
which  I  am  speaking  expresses  our  congratulations  as  a  community,  in  view  of 
this  new  and  powerful  auxiliary  in  aid  of  good  morals,  of  social  order,  and  the 
general  well-being  of  society.  These  are  not  mere  phrases.  Education  and 
religion,  the  school  and  the  church,  placed  side  by  side  in  the  resolution,  as 
they  stand  side  by  side  on  this  declivity  in  our  growing  village,  are  the  great 
conservative  elements  of  our  social  state.  Every  living  church,  especially, 
stands  related  to  society  by  the  most  vital  ties.  The  Church  is  the  great  bul- 
wark of  the  Sabbath,  which  was  made  for  man,  indispensable  alike  for  his 
physical  and  his  moral  wants.  It  is  the  guardian  of  the  family,  which,  like  the 
Sabbath,  was  also  made  for  man.  It  is  the  aid  and  ally  of  all  human  law 
which  rests  on  the  basis  of  the  divine  law,  and  the  best  friend  of  whatever  is 
truly  remedial  in  every  form  of  human  philanthropy  and  benevolence.  If  we 
wish  to  measure  the  extent  of  this  influence,  let  us  imagine  for  a  moment,  if 
we  can,  that  every  organized  Christian  society  on  either  side  of  this  great 
river,  from  its  source  to  its  mouth,  were  blotted  out  of  existence,  and  the  mass 
of  society  left  without  a  trace  of  the  leaven  of  their  refining  and  elevating 
power.  Who  can  doubt  that  we  should  be  remitted  at  once  to  a  barbarism 
as  much  worse  than  that  which  reigned  along  these  shores  when  Hendrick 
Hudson  first  sailed  beside  them,  as  the  modern  implements  and  enginery  of  war 
are  more  terrible  and  destructive  than  the  bows  and  arrows  of  the  aborigines  ? 
But  this  merely  conservative  power  is  not  the  limit  of  the  influence  of  the 
Church  upon  society.  It  stands  as  the  living  witness  of  the  great  facts  of  the 
Christian  system.  I  say  nothing  of  doctrines,  for  in  respect  to  these  churches 
differ  and  good  men  are  divided.  I  speak  of  the  great  cardinal  facts  which  lie 
at  the  basis  of  all  Christian  faith  and  activity,  and  which  men  need,  first  of  all 
and  most  of  all,  to  believe,— the  fact  of  the  existence  of  God,  which  the 
Bible  begins  by  assuming  and  does  not  stop  to  prove  ;  the  verities  of  human 
guilt,  and  of  a  living  Savior,  who  was  born  and  lived  and  died,  and  rose  again 
from  the  dead  on  the  third  day,  and  who  now  and  ever  lives.  The  question 
propounded  by  his  lips  still  remains  unanswered — "  When  the  Son  of  man 
Cometh  shall  he  find  faith  on  the  earth?" — and  until  he  comes  the  Church 
must  needs  be  the  witness  to  the  world  of  the  facts  of  his  gospel,  just  as  the 
apostles  at  the  first  were  ordained  by  him  to  be  the  witnesses  of  the  great 
central  fact  of  his  resurrection. 
4 


50 

And  may  we  not  add,  that  this  finished  church  stands  also  as  the  symbol 
of  the  final  and  completed  triumph  of  the  truth.  Long  after  every  eye  which 
has  looked  to-day  on  its  fair  proportions  is  closed  in  its  last  sleep,  and  every 
ear  on  which  these  words  of  congratulation  have  fallen  is  filled  with  dust, 
these  walls  shall  stand  on  the  same  enduring  base,  and  this  spire  shall  point  to 
the  same  overarching  skies.  Let  us  hope  that  here  the  imperishable  truths  of 
the  gospel  may  find  a  centre  of  ever-widening  influence  and  success,  until  the 
time  shall  come  when  the  whole  expectant  Church,  with  trimmed  lamps  and 
girded  loins,  shall  go  forth  at  the  midnight  cry :  "  Behold,  the  Bridegroom 
cometh !" 

The  Rev.  J.  R.  Kendrick,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the 
Tabernacle  Baptist  Church  of  New  York  City,  re- 
sponded to  the  third  resohition,  on  behalf  of,  the 
denomination,  as  follows  : 

The  service  to  which  I  have  been  called  on  this  jubilee  occasion,  while 
grateful  enough  in  itself,  is  rendered  severe  and  almost  cruel  by  reason  of  my 
position  on  the  programme  of  the  evening.  The  inexorable  requirements  of 
logical  order,  it  is  said,  have  put  me  last,  when  other  fitnesses  demanded  that, 
if  appearing  at  all,  I  should  come  first.  It  would  be  sufficiently  hard  to  follow 
the  most  popular  preacher  in  our  ranks,  who  discourses  weekly  from  his  edito- 
rial tripod  to  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  auditors  ;  but,  worse  than  this, 
I  am  doomed  to  the  unhappy  dignity  of  succeeding  a  poet,  whose  graceful 
numbers  and  sparkling  satire  have  given  him  a  world-wide  celebrity,  and 
whose  address  just  closed  shows  that  he  is  equally  master  of  the  arts  of  elo- 
quence and  of  verse.  Both  the  speakers  who  have  preceded  me  have  con- 
spired, it  would  seem,  to  reduce  me  to  a  condition  even  more  dilapidated,  for- 
lorn, and  unpresentable,  than  that  of  a  certain  afflicted  heroine  to  whom  allusion 
has  been  made — to  leave  me  with  nothing  to  say.  They  have  appropriated  and 
displayed  all  the  fine  broadcloths  and  costly  velvets  of  thought  and  rhetoric, 
and  abandoned  me  to  cut  a  sorry  figure  in  their  cast-off  raiment,  or  in  thread- 
bare and  faded  garments  of  speech.  I  must  accept  the  situation,  however, 
with  all  its  hard  conditions  ;  and  so  must  you. 

It  is  certainly  fitting  that  the  denomination  at  large  should  have  a  repre- 
sentation and  a  voice  in  this  Baptist  jubilee  at  Yonkers.  This  is  far  more 
than  a  sacred  festival  of  simply  local  import  and  interest.  It  sustains  relations 
to  the  great  Baptist  family,  very  intimate  and  important.  One  member,  in 
particular,  of  that  family,  the  church  of  which  I  am  pastor,  claims  the  privi- 
lege of  sharing  your  exhilaration  over  this  accomplished  enterprise,  and  fully 
entering  into  all  your  sentiments  of  thankfulness,  joy,  and  pride.  If  you  now 
dwell  in  a  solid  and  gorgeous  temple,  while  we  still  linger  "  in  curtains  " — in  a 
modest  Tabernacle,— is  it  not  because  you  have  appropriated  our  members  and 


51 

resources  ?  Is  not  one  of  the  gentlemen  whose  munificence  has  reared  this 
structure,  in  regular  standing  and  full  fellowship  with  us  ?  And  was  not  the 
other  for  years  a  prized  and  useful  member  of  our  body  ?  And  do  not  both 
of  them,  when  iu  the  city,  cheer  our  congregation  with  their  presence,  and 
promote  our  interests  by  active  sympathy  and  substantial  aid  ?  Who  shall 
deny  that  they  may  have  been  educated,  inspired,  qualified,  for  their  extraor- 
dinary service  here,  by  the  wholesome  instructions  and  discipline  of  the  Taberna- 
cle Church  ?  Not  I,  certainly.  I  look  around  and  see  many  others  compos- 
ing and  adorning  this  Church  and  Congregation, — among  them  the  first  speak- 
er of  the  evening, — who  are  the  children,  or  who  once  enjoyed  the  fostering 
care,  of  the  dear  mother  that,  still  fresh  and  well-preserved,  keeps  open 
house  on  Second  Avenue.  In  truth,  I  am,  half  inclined  to  claim  for  the  Tab- 
ernacle Church  the  whole  credit  of  this  Yonkers  phenomenon.  However 
much  you  might  resent  such  pretensions  as  exorbitant  and  absurd,  you  will, 
at  least,  promptly  own  that  nobody  outside  of  your  immediate  circle  has  a 
better  right  to  rejoice  and  give  thanks  with  you  this  evening  than  we  of 
the  Tabernacle  Church. 

But  this  occasion,  while  specially  related  to  my  own  flock,  reaches  much 
farther,  and  touches  and  thrills  a  vast  association  of  kindred  communities  scat- 
tered over  this  broad  land  and  bound  with  a  sacred  fellowship  by  one  Lord, 
one  Faith,  and  one  Baptism.  In  the  name  of  those  communities, — on  behalf 
of  the  Baptists  of  this  continent, — I  come  to  you  bringing  congratulations, 
thanksgivings,  and  fraternal  greetings,  on  the  completion  of  this  great  enter- 
prise. Assuming  to  represent  the  denomination  at  large,  I  confidently  adopt 
the  language  of  the  resolution  to  which  I  am  speaking,  and  declare  that 
"  we  hail  with  just  pride," — with  a  sacred  enlargement,  elevation,  and  elation 
of  soul, — that  work  whose  achievement  you  now  celebrate. 

In  only  ordinary  cases,  and  when  only  ordinary  means  are  employed,  a 
house  of  worship  is  a  noble  monument  of  the  intelligent  and  pious  zeal  of  all 
who  have  been  concerned  iu  its  erection.  It  subserves  the  loftiest  purposes, — 
directly  promotes  those  objects  dear  to  the  heart  of  God  and  vital  to  the  wel- 
fare of  man  in  all  his  varied  relations.  Christian  beneficence  seldom  tates  a 
wiser  and  worthier  direction,  than  when  engaged  in  rearing  edifices  in  which  a 
pure  gospel  is  to  be  preached  and  the  simple  ordinances  of  that  gospel  are  to 
be  administered.  It  is  a  noble  appropriation  of  money  to  found  a  college  or 
a  theological  seminary,  or  to  endow  a  chair  in  such  a  seminary,  or  to  estab- 
lish an  orphan  asylum,  or  a  home  for  aged  disciples  oppressed  with  indigence 
and  infirmity,  but  sometimes,  at  least,  it  is  a  better  service  in  the  cause  of  God 
and  humanity  to  build  a  house  for  him  and  his  people. 

So  the  Baptist  denomination  at  large  rejoices  in  the  simple  fact,  that  the 
Church  at  Yonkers  now  possesses  what  it  greatly  needed,  a  new  church  edi- 
fice. We  feel  no  envy,  but  delight  rather  and  only,  that  this  is  so  stately  and 
excellent  a  house.  It  is  none  too  good, — none  too  imposing,  commodious,  and 
elegant.    This  is  no  structural  vanity, — no  ambitious  and  futile  attempt  to 


52 

embody  and  express  in  symbolic  stone  and  mortar  the  spiritual  truths  of 
Christianity, — no  pretentious  fabric  blazing  with  meretricious  ornaments,  and 
involving  a  prodigal  outlay  of  money.  It  is  simply  a  massive  and  beautiful 
edifice,  congruous  in  its  architectural  proportions  and  decorations  with  the 
culture,  taste,  and  resources  of  this  thriving  suburb  of  the  great  metropolis. 
It  is  wisely  built  for  the  future,  as  well  as  the  present,  and  contemplates  the 
not  remote  day  when  the  city  in  its  gigantic  strides  will  be  here,  and  Yonkers 
will  have  become  to  New  York  proper,  in  point  of  distance,  what  Harlem 
now  is. 

But  it  is  not  so  much,  of  course,  the  mere  fact  that  you  are  in  possession 
of  a  noble  house  of  worship,  that  gives  the  entire  Baptist  family  joy  and  pride, 
as  it  is  the  manner  in  which  this  house  has  become  yours.  There  are  circum- 
stances which  make  this  occasion  singular,  unique,  almost  without  a  prece- 
dent or  parallel  in  our  annals,  and  impart  to  it  a  special  significance.  We 
can  not  forget  that  this  has  been  mainly  a  private  enterprise, — that  this  mag- 
nificent structure,  turned  over  to  the  Yonkers  Church  in  absolute  possession, 
is  the  result  of  the  generosity  of  two  Christian  men.  These  men  want  no 
words  of  praise  from  us.  Certainly  they  do  not  want  our  adulation.  This,  I 
am  sure,  would  be  as  offensive  to  them  as  it  would  be  unworthy  of  us.  Doubt- 
less they  feel  that  they  have  had  too  much  of  recognition  already.  Very 
likely  this  emphatic  recognition  has  been  oppressive  and  painful  to  them,  and 
they  have  virtually  been  saying,  as  many  another  benefactor  has  had  occasion 
to  say  ; 

■"  "We've  heard  of  hearts — kind  deeds 
With  hate  or  scorn  returning  ; 
Alas  I  the  graiilude  of  man 
Has  oftener  left  us  mourning." 

But  we  mud  speak — not  for  them — not  to  please  them  with  flattering  or 
even  appreciative  words — but  for  ourselves  and  for  others.  It  would  be  a 
shame  and  a  crime  if  we  did  not  utter  and  emphasize  our  profound  and 
grateful  sense  of  the  broad  Christian  sagacity,  the  deep  and  more  than 
chivalrous  loyalty  to  our  distinguishing  religious  tenets,  as  well  as  the  princely 
liberality  which  instigated  this  enterprise.  Inhere  can  be  no  doubt,  surely,  of 
the  estimate  which  James  B.  Colgate  and  John  B.  Trevor  place  upon  the 
principles  and  usages  of  the  people  called  Baptists.  They  have  not  simply 
put  their  sign  manual  to  the  Baptist  creed  ;  they  have  consecrated  this  great 
property  to  the  custody  and  propagation  of  this  creed,  and  that  forever. 
Like  the  sturdy  barons  who  would  not  consent  that  the  laws  of  England 
should  be  changed,  these  brethren  are  satisfied  with  the  simple  faith  of  their 
fathers,  and  they  have  reared  this  structure  as  a  solid  protest  against  innova- 
tions in  that  faith.    The  protest  is  seasonable,  assuring,  and  inspiriting. 

It  is  pre-eminently,  however,  as  an  example,  replete  with  suggestion  and 
inspiration  for  other  minds  and  hearts,  that  I  love,  as  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  brotherhood,  to  think  of  this  structure.     A  good  deed  shines  some 


53 

distance  in  this  naughty  world  of  ours  ;  and  this  great,  good  deed — this  accom- 
plished, unencumbered,  conspicuous  fact  must  shine  afar.  It  will  prove  an 
"  eloquent  plea"  indeed,  saying  to  others  :  "  Go  ye  and  do  likewise."  As  the 
palace  steamers  of  our  American  Rhine  glide  past  this  place,  crowded  with 
their  living  freight  of  eager  gazers,  the  question  will  often  be  asked  :  *'  What 
church  is  that?"  And  the  answer  will  be  :  "  It  is  a  Baptist  Church  ;  the  best 
one  in  the  land,  if  not  in  the  world.  And  do  you  know  its  history  ?  Why, 
siV,  it  was  built  by  two  Wall  Street  Christians  at  a  cost  of  something  like 
$200,000,  and  was  presented  to  the  congregation  without  so  much  as  a  far- 
thing of  debt  upon  it!"  Can  such  a  thing  be  done  and  told  without  setting 
rich  men  and  rich  women  to  thinking,  and  stirring  them  to  a  generous  emula- 
tion ?  I  look  for  great  results  from  this  splendid  pioneer  deed  of  benevolence 
in  the  way  of  church  building.  I  shall  not  be  surprised  to  hear  shortly  that 
houses  similar  to  this,  and  under  somewhat  similar  circumstances,  are  in  pro- 
cess of  erection  at  Tarrytown,  at  Poughkeepsie,  at  Rhinebeck,  at  Newburg, 
and  other  neighboring  points.  Nay,  it  may  be  that  brethren  of  ample  sub- 
stance will  come  forward  to  provide  the  old  Tabernacle  Church  of  New  York 
with  a  worthier  home,  while  her  present  habitation  is  reserved,  if  possible,  for 
the  use  of  the  denomination.  In  that  event — I  blush  to  make  the  suggestion, 
for  it  does  sound  rather  shabby,  and  seems  like  pushing  the  "  free  horse  "  very 
hard — still,  in  that  event,  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  the  brethren  who 
have  shown  such  astonishing  power  of  draft  here,  would  give  us  a  strong 
pull.  Or,  to  change  the  figure,  having  endowed  the  fair  young  daughter  so 
munificently,  they  would  scarcely  refuse  to  '•  come  down  "  handsomely  in  ren- 
dering the  advancing  years  of  the  dear  old  mother  somewhat  more  comfortable, 
respectable,  and  useful.  Indeed,  what  limit  is  to  be  set  to  the  influence  of  a 
noble  work  like  this  ?  It  will  extend  across  the  continent ;  it  will  aid  in 
rearing  houses  for  God  along  that  highway  of  the  nations,  the  Pacific  Rail- 
road, and  may  electrify  with  a  kindred  liberality  the  solid  Baptists  of  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Francisco. 

The  resolution  before  me  justly  and  felicitously  says,  that  this  generous 
act  of  our  brethren  "  is  an  eloquent  plea  to  men  of  means  to  consecrate  during 
life  their  substance  to  the  Lord."  Truly  it  is  so — a  plea  that  should  be  heeded. 
It  is  a  simple  rule  of  very  wide  application.  Longfellow  has  shown,  in  one 
of  his  poems,  how  important  it  is  in  affairs  of  courtship  :  "  If  you  would  have 
a  thing  well  done,  do  it  yourself."  The  rule  is  specially  worthy  of  adoption 
in  charitable  donations.  Here  a  Christian  man  is  surely  the  best  executor  of 
his  own  will.  He  knows  best  what  he  wishes  done  with  the  funds  which  he 
proposes  to  devote  to  Christ's  cause,  and  how  to  compass  his  ends.  What 
infinite  troubles  and  mischiefs — what  long  and  vexatious  lawsuits — what 
quarrels  amongst  children  and  heirs — what  mismanagement  and  perversion 
of  charitable  bequests — would  all  be  avoided,  if  men  of  large  means  and 
liberal  purposes  would  themselves  supervise  and  control  their  contributions 
to  religious  objects.     That  illustrious  philanthropist,  Mr.  George  Peabody, 


54 

displayed  singular  wisdom  in  organizing  and  fairly  setting  in  motion  his 
grand  educational  cliarity,  while  vigor  of  mind  and  body  remained  to 
him.  Degrading  enough  to  the  merest  worldling — infinitely  unworthy  of  the 
disciple  of  Jesus — is  that  most  odious  of  prides, 

"  The  pride  of  dying  rich, 
The  loudest  laugh  of  hell." 

Standing  in  this  beautiful  temple  of  religion — ^_just  dedicated  to  the  high- 
est of  purposes — I  almost  envy  the  men  who  have  loved  their  principles  and 
their  people  so  well  as  to  build  for  them  a  synagogue,  who  have  had  the 
money  and  the  grace  to  set  so  sublime  an  example.  They  have  reared  for 
themselves  a  monument  more  noble  than  the  proudest  mausoleum  which  be- 
reaved afifection,  aided  though  it  were  by  royal  treasures,  could  construct. 
Would  you  see  that  monument?  Look  around.  Blessings  on  them!  Blessings 
on  their  basket  and  their  store,  their  homes  and  ofBces  and  commercial  trans- 
actions !  So  long  as  they  continue  I'ich  in  grace,  and  in  this  grace  of  giving, 
I  care  not  how  freely  they  receive  and  how  opulent  they  become. 

And  blessings  on  you,  my  brother,  the  pastor  of  this  flock,  and  on  the 
church  and  congregation  that  are  the  favored  and  grateful  recipients  of  tiiis 
extraordinary  generosity.  Peace  be  within  these  walls !  For  mij  brethren  and 
companions'  sake,  throughout  the  land,  I  will  now  say.  Peace  be  ivithin  ijoa! 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  and  enthusias- 
tically approved  and  adopted  by  a  rising  vote.  The 
Doxology  was  then  sung,  and  the  congregation  was 
disniissed. 


bo 


CONCLUSION. 


As  a  fitting  conclusion  to  tliese  pages,  tlie  follow- 
ing little  poem  is  inserted,  written  by  Mrs.  J.  H. 
Uhl,  of  Yonkers.  The  new  edifice  was  dedicated 
on  what  is  known  in  the  Episcopal  Communion  as 
"St.  John's  Day.'' 


ST.    JOHN'S    DAY,    1869. 

The  day  of  good  St.  Jobu 

Witli  fervid  splendors  shone, 
Distilling  sweets  from  every  rose  of  June  ; 

Blue  waters  laughed  in  light, 

Blue  ether  wooed  the  flight 
Of  birds,  Avhose  matin  songs  were  all  in  tune. 

This  day  of  summer  days 

Its  purple  pomp  displays 
To  grace  a  gift  more  regal  than  its  own  ; 

For  Nature's  wealthiest  dole 

Shows  poor  beside  the  soul 
Of  "cheerful  giving,"  which  His  love  doth  crown. 

More  sweet  than  rose  of  June, 

Than  bird-song  more  in  tune, 
Than  sky  or  water  brighter  and  more  fair, 

This  dual  gift  shines  forth, 

And  for  its  noble  worth, 
Claims  in  all  Christian  hearts  their  thanks  to  share. 

John-Baptist's  holy  day, 

Its  benediction  lay 
Upon  the  doers  of  this  generous  deed  ; 

And  may  the  holy  spell 

Rest  on  their  work  as  well, — 
All  Christian  hearts  must  pray  for  it,  "God  speed  !" 


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